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The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


BY 


PROF. 



At P. STOUT, 


Minister, and Author of the Map of “The Travels of Jesus,” 
“Chronology of Christ’s Life,” etc. 


GRAPHICALLY ILLUSTRATED. 


Nashvii^lb, Tbnn.: 

GOSPEL ADVOCATE PUBLISHING COMPANY. 
1895- 





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THE I > N L Y T E U K LIKENESS «» F 

OUR SAVIOUR, 

J'hkftB from one cut in an Emerald by command.of Tibamia Cmat 
eiTen from tbe Treasury of Ck>nat*ntinojsie,by 


and which was 

be Emperor < . , . 

demptios of hit brother . than a captive to the Chriettaca. 


the Emperor of the Turk*, to Pope Innocent VI1I,» for the re- 




INTRODUCTION* 


y HIS book is an effort to portray the tragedy of Christ the 
Holy from a chronological and historical point of view from 
the last paschal supper until the dispersing of the multitude 
from Calvary 

Years of study on “Chronology! of Christ’s Life” proves 
that a chronological study of the Gospels and of subjects in 
them is the only way a clear harmonious view of him can be 
obtained 

The work is intended to be free from prejudice free from 
theological bias and free from denominationalism the special 
object being to present Christ the Holy and his many murder- 
ers in the true light 

This production is substantially the lectures delivered two 
hundred and seventy-seven times on this tragedy to those 
who heard them and read^this book we come again to speak 
on this matchless theme 

With a sincere desire to honor the Christ and induce my 
fellowman to do the same the w^ork is now dismissed on Tues- 
day this the eleventh day of December 1894 my fiftieth birth- 
day A. P. STOUT. 


♦ Count the words in each sentence. 

tFor chronology of events I am indebted almost wholly to my “Chro- 
nology of Christ’s Life.’’ 














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Head of Christ. 

Hy H. Hofmann. 







THE JERUSALEM TRAGEDY. 


PAET FIEST. 

THE ECCLESIASTICAL, OR JEWISH TRIALS. 


*An Address Delivered in Los Angeles, Cal., on Sunday Night, 
January i, 1893, 

By PliOF. A. P. STOUT. 


JESUS ON TRIAL 

T O-NIGrHT, the first night, and first Sunday 
night of the New Year, 1893, I am to deliver 
my two hundred and fifty-fourth, and last, address on 
“ The Jerusalem Tragedy,” unless my health great- 
ly improves. My diaries show that I have deliv- 
ered one hundred and fifty-eight public addresses 
directly on “ The Crucifixion of the Holy Christ,” and 
I hope to be able to deliver one more. That, and 
the one of this hour are to compose a small book, 

* Reported by P. C. Macfarlane, and greatly amplified by the 
author. 

( 5 ) 


6 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


and be illustrated by some of the linest pictures 
known to Christian art on these great themes. 


The Paschal Supper. 

While eating the paschal supper, Jesus greatly 
astonished the apostles by suddenly changing the 
tenor of the conversation, and saying : “ One of 
you shall betray me.” Each looked into the face 
of each to see if the traitor could be discovered. 
He could not. Each looked within his own heart 
in search of the traitor. Eleven found him not, 
nor did the twelfth find purposed traitorism. Each 
one, one by one, exclaimed: “Lord, is it I?” 
Replying, Jesus said : “ He who dips his hand in 
the dish with me is the man.” This did not des- 
ignate the betrayer, because as many as desired 
dipped their hands in the common dish. Jesus’ 
answer was purposely, graciously indefinite. 

For the supposed position in which Jesus and 
the twelve apostles sat at the paschal supper see 
Leonardo da Vinci’s great picture facing this — 
John on the right of Jesus, then Andrew, then 


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The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


7 


Peter, with Judas with uplifted huger on the left 
of Jesus. Judas is in the very act of saying: 
‘‘ Master, is it I ? Jesus answered: ‘‘Thou hast 
said.” This did not personate the betrayer. No 
suspicion had rested on J udas any more than on 
any other one of the apostles. If he had been un- 
der suspicion, some one would have spoken at this 
good opportunity. We are sure that Judas was 
sincere, and that he never did purpose to do the 
Savior harm ; hut read of Judas further on. 

If there was one at the table who felt it possible 
he might betray Jesus, it was Simon Peter, whom 
the Savior told not an hour before this that he 
would deny him three times before the cock 
would crow. This is probably the very thing that 
prompted Peter to ask John to ask Jesus who the 
betrayer was. John silently asked Jesus, and 
whispered the answer to Peter, no one hearing, 
unless it was Andrew, who was between John and 
Peter. (See the picture.) Jesus’ silent answer to 
John was : “ The man to whom I shall give a sop 
when I have dipped it is the betrayer.” Jesus 
then dipped the sop, and gave it to J udas, saying : 
“ That thou doest, do quickly.” This did not des- 


8 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


ignate the betrayer to any of the apostles save 
John and Peter. llTone of the other apostles knew 
what Jesus meant when he said to Judas: “That 
thou doest, do quickly.’’ (Joh-n xiii. 27.) As to 
the mere giving of the sop to Judas, it was a mat- 
ter of regard rather than of exposure. 

All the apostles’ efforts to induce Jesus to pub- 
licly point out the betrayer have been a failure. 
He could not be induced to point Judas out, say- 
ing : “ Thou art the traitor.” In doing this, Jesus 
would have sacrificed his dignity, marred his char- 
ity, and insulted his own manliness. Jesus Christ 
was a gentleman of the finest feeling and highest re- 
finement. If Jesus had pointed his finger at Judas, 
and publicly said, “ Thou art the traitor,” the prob- 
ability is that the apostles would have ejected him 
from the guest-chamber with great violence, and 
the rash Peter might have killed him, for he car- 
ried a sword. Jesus had knowledge that Judas 
had entered into a contract with the chief priests 
to betray him, and that he had the money in his 
pocket for doing that deed. Facing this, Jesus 
took special pains to shield Judas from public ex- 
posure, and to protect him from violence. Indeed, 


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Christ. 

1{Y Leonardo da Vinci (Italiiui). 

(See t.lie note at the picture facini? pa<>:e tJ.) 





The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


9 


Jesus encouraged Judas to complete his contract 
with the chief priests as quickly as possible, and 
signified to the eleven apostles that the departure 
and act of Judas, whatever that might he (for nine 
of them knew not), would glorify God and himself, 
too. (John xiii. 31.) 

The conduct of Jesus towards Judas was as 
charitable as it was beautiful, and it was as beau- 
tiful as beautiful could be. Indeed, Jesus dearly 
loved Judas, and he loved in return. They will 
soon meet again. No man ever had such a refined, 
clear, and deep perception of religious ethics as 
had Jesus Christ, the Holy. 

As soon as Judas left the guest-chamber, Jesus 
spoke of the nearness of his departure, emphasized 
the importance of Christian love between the apos- 
tles, again warned Peter of his fall, instituted the 
memorial of his death, delivered the great address 
recorded in John xiv., xv., and xvi., and prayed 
the valedictory prayer recorded in chapter xvii. 
At the close of this heavenly-spirited prayer, which 
brought tears to every eye and pain to every heart, 
a part or all of the great Hallel was sung. It con- 
sisted of Ps. cxv., cxvi., cxvii., and cxviii. The 


10 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


Evangelists call it a hymn. At the close of the 
hymn, Jesus and the eleven apostles left the guest- 
chamber, passed out of the city at St. Stephen’s 
Gate, crossed the Kidron Valley, went out to the 
foot of Mount Olivet, and paused at the gate of 
the garden of Gethsemane. 

There, in the soft moonlight streaming through 
the olive trees, J esus said to the eleven apostles : 
“ Every one of you shall be caused to stumble be- 
cause of me this night; for it is written by the 
prophet” : ‘‘ The Shepherd shall he smitten, and the 
sheep of the flock scattered; hut I will arise from 
death, and precede you into Galilee.” * Rash Peter 
declared that the ten apostles might be caused to 
stumble, but that nothing could make his feet to 
slip. Jesus said : 

“ Peter, thy feet are slipping now ; 

Thy fall is very nigh ; 

Before the cock shall crow, 

Three times will thee deny.” 

All the apostles were of the opinion that Jesus 

^Throughout this work, at will, the author gives the mean- 
ing of scripture rather than slave himself to any form of words, 
though great they be. 




Jesus Prays in the Garden. 



The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


11 


was greatly mistaken ; that he did not fully know 
his men. 


The Tragedy in the Garden. 

Seeing that nothing but the real battle would 
convince the eleven apostles of their lack of cour- 
age and of strength, Jesus went forth into the gar- 
den to meet the foe. Not far from the gate Jesus 
told eight of the apostles to remain seated at that 
place while he went forward to a retired spot to 
pray. Taking Peter, James, and John, he started 
for that place ; hut the sorrow of his soul was so 
great that he paused, and gravely said to them : 
“ The sorrow of my soul is so great that I feel the 
pangs of death ; tarry here, and watch for the 
enemy.” What else could watching mean ? He 
went a little further into the garden (perhaps 
into the dense shade of a great olive tree), and fell 
prostrate upon his face, and most devoutly prayed 
to be delivered from the long line of public dis- 
grace that would follow his arrest. He must have 
felt that the tragedy (though not fully seen) that 
welled up before him would in the public mind 


12 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


disgrace his holy life. From the coming shame — 
not from the pain — his holy soul shrank back. One 
hour, prostrate upon his face, did he pour out his 
soul to God in prayer. 

Returning to the three apostles, he found them 
wrapped in sleep. On waking them, Jesus said: 

Peter, could you not keep awake and watch for 
me one hour? R’ow, keep aAvake, and pray, or 
you will surely fall.” A deeper sadness seized his 
soul. Judas is with his bitterest enemies; eight 
of the apostles are unconcerned; three are bound 
to sleep; all other trusted friends are wrapped in 
slumber in Jerusalem. With fast-increasing agony, 
he left the three, and prayed in substance as before. 

Returning to the three apostles, he found them 
fast asleep again. He gave them no reproof, and 
they no answer made. They were ashamed of 
their stupidity. With agony too great for any 
human soul to bear, Jesus withdrew a stone’s cast 
from the three, fell down upon his knees, and 
prayed with agony so great that bloody drops of 
sweat ran down his cheeks and beard, falling on 
the ground. The bitter cup was not removed, but 
the reverent prayer was answered thus: God sent 



]{Y II. IIOFJIANX 




4 


The Jerusalem Tragedy 


18 


an angel down, who gave him power divine, and 
pledged the help of angels twelve legions strong. 
This made him superior to his agony, and bore him 
bravely through. We cannot think that Jesus 
would thus have prayed and agonized if he had 
known this help would come. 

Returning to the three, he found them fast asleep 
again. He did not chide them as at first (for he is 
stronger now), but said : Sleep for a little time, 
and take your rest.” And when a little time had 
passed, the church-mob came in sight. At this the 
Savior said : ‘‘Awake ! awake ! I am betrayed into 
the hands of sinful men.” He then went forward 
towards the garden gate, where he had left eight 
of the apostles, and the mob was near at hand. 


The Church-Mob in the Garden. 

Jesus and the eleven apostles went forth to meet 
the church-mob^ which was composed of a company 
of rufilans, servants of the high priest and Sanhe- 
drin. If there were any Roman soldiers in the 
mob they were following as spectators, and in no 


14 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


sense called out by duty ; for Pilate had not yet 
even heard of the purpose to arrest him. 

They are coming in at the gate of the garden 
now — ‘‘ a great multitude, with swords, staves, lan- 
terns, and torches.” The mob is preceded one hun- 
dred feet by Judas, who met Jesus near the gate of 
the garden. On meeting him, Judas said, “Hail, 
Master;” then kissed his cheek. Jesus’ answer 
was, “ Friend, do that for which thou art come.” 
Did Jesus make a play on words in this most try- 
ing moment ? or did he know that Judas in his heart 
meant no harm to him ? Of this see further on. 

We see the dashing mob and Jesus meet. A 
halt by all was made, and he broke the silence by 
saying, “ Whom do you seek ? ” The captain said, 
“We are sent Do arrest Jesus of ^NTazareth.” At 
once the Savior said, “ I am he.” At those three 
words the mob stepped backward, and, stumbling, 
fell, and prostrate lay upon the ground. Judas did 
not fall. As the mob dumbfounded lay, Jesus said 
again, “Whom do you seek?” With quivering 
lips and trembling nerves the captain said, “ Jesus 
of Nazareth.” “ Then take me,” said the Christ to 
him ; “ but let my apostles go their way.” The mob 




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Jesus in Gethsemane. 


Uy Hofmann 








The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


15 


arose, and Malchus seized the Christ. A sword 
flashed out; his ear was ofl; the lick was meant 
to decapitate. At this the Savior raised his hand, 
and said : “ Peter, Peter, have I not often said 
to thee. My kingdom is not a fighting one ? Put 
up thy sword; the cup my Father gives to me, 
that I must drink. Twelve legions of angels would 
come at my call.” “Then call them now,” said 
Peter. 

When Peter saw the Lord would not resist the 
mob, he fled for life, far out into the densest shade, 
followed by all the apostles save J udas. Christ is 
left alone. The injured man he touched and healed ; 
then said, “ I am ready now to go.” The captain 
tied his hands ; then put a rope around his neck. 
The mob moved out at the garden gate, with torches 
and lanterns lifted high, with swords and clubs 
made prominent as they thus go. The apostles, 
one by one, come following on, Peter, farthest in 
the rear, following afar ofl*. Just then John Mark 
was following close upon the mob, which brought 
belief that he was one of Jesus’ men. They seized 
him, but in the struggle he was disrobed, and fled 
for life, too nude to be described. 


16 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


The Highest Manhood Ever Known. 

For Jesus to be seized by a church-mob^ in the 
dead hour of night, bound like the vilest culprit, 
and led before his greatest enemies, with power at 
his command to slay them all, and refuse to harm 
a hair of one of their heads, or permit it to be done, 
shows him to have the highest manhood ever known. 
With him no Csesar can compare. 

The mob is passing now in at St. Stephen’s gate, 
but Judas is not with them. Where can he be? 

A Defense of Judas.'^- 

Some say that Judas was a base, vile man, 

Who sold his Master for the meanest bribe. 

Others, again, insist he was most right. 

Giving to justice one who merely sought 
To overthrow the church, subvert the law'. 

And on its ruins build himself a throne. 

I, knowing Judas (and none better knew) ; 

I, caring not for Christus more than him ; 

But, hating lies, the simple truth will tell. 

♦This poem was written in Jerusalem in the first centurj^ by Marcus (a 
Roman lawyer) to Cains, his best friend in Rome, and sent by Lucius. 
Christus means Christ ; Lysias, the captain of the church mob who arrested 
him. W'ithout approval or criticism, this poem is inserted for its unique- 
ness and graphicness. 


Christ Taken Captive. 

By H, Hofmann, 







The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


17 


No man can say I ever told a lie ; 

I am too old now to begin. Besides, 

The truth is truth, and let the truth be told. 

Judas, I say, alone of all the men 

Who followed Christus, thought he was God. 

Some feared him for his power of miracles ; 

Some were attracted by a sort of spell ; 

Some followed to hear his clear, sweet voice. 

And gentle speaking, hearing with their ears. 

And knowing not the sense of what he said ; 

But one alone believed he was the Lord, 

The true Messiah of the Jews. That one 
Was Judas— he alone of all the crowd. 

He to betray his Master for a bribe ! 

He, last of all ! I say this friend of mine 
Was brave, when all the rest were cowards. 

He doubted not, like some who walked with him ; 
Desired no first place, as did James and John ; 
Denied him not, with Peter ; not to him 
His Master said, “Away ! thou art an offense ; 

Get thee behind me, Satan ! ” not to him, 

“Am I so long with you who know me not?” 

Fixed as a rock, untempted by desires 
To gain the post of honor when his Lord 
Should come to rule ; chosen from out the midst 
Of sixscore men as his apostles— then, 

9 


18 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


Again, selected to the public trust — 

Unselfish, honest, he among them walked. 

That he was honest, and was so esteemed. 

Is plain from this — they chose him, out of all, 

To bear the common purse, and take and pay. 
John says he was a thief, because he grudged 
The price that for some ointment once was paid, 
And urged, “ ’Tvvere better given to the poor.” 
Sell everything, and give all to the poor ! 

And Judas, who believed — not made believe — 
Used his own words ^ and Christus, who excused 
Tlie gift because of love, rebuked him not. 

Thief ! Aye, he ’twas (this very thief) they chose 
To bear the purse and give alms to the poor : 

I, for my part, see nothing wrong in this. 

But why, if Judas was a man like this — 

Frank, noble, honest (here I interposed) — 

Why was it that he thus betrayed his liOrd? 

This question oft did I revolve, said he. 

When all the facts were fresh, and oft revolved 
In latter days, and with no change of mind ; 

And this is my solution of the case. 

Daily he heard his Master’s voice proclaim, 

“ I am the Lord ; the Father lives in me ; 

Who knoweth me know'S the eternal God ; 

He who believes in me shall never die. 

No. he shall see me with my angels come, 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


19 


With power and glory here upon earth, 

To judge the quick and dead, among you here. 

Some shall not taste of death before 1 come, 

God’s kingdom to establish on the earth.” 

What meant these words ? They seethed in Judas’ soul. 
“ Here is my God — Messiah, King of kings, 

Christus, the Lord — the Savior of us all ; 

And, threatened by this crawling scum of men. 

Oh, who shall urge the coming of that day 
When he in majesty shall clothe himself. 

And stand before the astonished world its King?” 
Long brooding over this inflamed his soul ; 

And, ever rash in schemes as wild in thought. 

At last he said: “ No longer will I bear 
This ignominy heaped upon my Lord. 

No man hath power to harm the Almighty One; 

Aye, let man’s hand be lifted, then at once. 

Effulgent like the sun, swift like the sword 
The jagged lightning flashes from the cloud. 

Shall be manifest the living God ; 

And, prostrate, all shall on the earth adore.” 

Such was his thought when, at the passover. 

The Lord with his disciples met and supped ; 

And Christus saw the trouble in his mind, 

And said, “ Behold, among you here is one 
That shall betray me— he to whom I give 
This sop.” And he the sop to Judas gave, 

And added, “ That thou doest, quickly do.” 


20 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


And Judas left him, hearing those last words, 

“ Now shall the Son of man be glorified.” 

Ah, yes, his Master had divined his thought ; 

His Master should be glorified through him. 

Straight unto me and the high priests he came. 

Filled with this hope, and said, “ Behold me here — 
Judas, a folio .ver of Christus. Come ! 

I will point out my Master, whom ye seek.” 

And out at once they sent me, with my band ; 

And as we went I said, rebuking him, 

“ How, Judas, is it you thus betray 
The Lord and Master, whom you love, to death ? ” 
And, smiling, then he answered, “ Fear you not; 

Do your duty; take no heed of me.” 

“ Is not this vile ? ” I said. “ I had not deemed 
Such baseness in you; though it seems so now.” 

Still smiling, he replied, “ Wait till the end : ” 

Then, turning round, as to himself he said, 

“Now comes the hour that I have prayed to see— 

The hour of joy to all who know the truth.” 

Is this man mad? I thought, and looked at him ; 
And in the darkness, creepinsr swiftly on. 

His face was glowing, almost shone with light ; 

And rapt, as if in visionary thought. 

He walked beside me, gazing at the sky. 

Passing at last beyond the Cedron brook, 

AVe reached a garden, on whose open gate 

Dark vines were loosely swinging Here we paused, 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


21 


And lifted up our torches, and beheld, 

Against the blank, white w^all a shadowy group 
There waiting, motionless, without a word. 

A moment, and with nervous step 
J udas alone advanced ; and as he reached 
The tallest figure, lifted quick his head, 

And crying “ Master ! Master ! kissed his cheek. 

We, knowing it was Christus, forward pressed. 
Malchus was at my side, when suddenly 
A sword flashed out from one among them there. 

And sheared his ear. At once our swords flashed out; 
But Christus, up his hand, said, “ Peace ! 

Sheathe thy sword, Peter; I must drink the cup.” 

And I cried also, “ Peace, and sheathe your swords I ” 
Then on his arm I placed my hand, and said, 

“ In the law’s name.” He nothing said, but reached 
His arms out, and we bound his hands with cords. 
This done, I turned, and all the rest had fled. 

And he alone was left to meet his fate. 

My men I ordered then to take and bear 
Their Prisoner to the city ; and at once 
They moved away. I, seeing not our guide. 

Cried, “ Judas ! ” but no answer. Then a groan 
So sad and deep it startled me. I turned, 

And there against the wall, with ghastly face. 

And eyeballs staring in a frenzied glare, 

As in a fit, lay Judas. His weak arms 


22 


llie Jerusalem Tragedy. 


Hung lifeless down ; his mouth, half open, twitched ; 

His hands were clutched and clenched into his robes, 
And now and then his breast heaved with a gasp. 
Frightened, I dashed some water in his face. 

Spoke to him, lifted him, and rubbed his hands. 

At last the sense came back into his eyes. 

Then with a sudden spasm fled again. 

And to the ground he dropped. I searched him o’er. 
Fearing some mortal wound ; yet none T found. 

Then with a gasp again the life returned. 

And stayed, but still with strong convulsion twitched. 

“ Speak, Judas ! speak ! ” I cried ; “what does this mean ? ” 
No answer. “ Speak, man ! ” Then at last he groaned. 

“ Go, leave ! leave me, Lysias ! Oh, my God ! 

What have I done? Oh, Christus, Master, Lord! 
Forgive me! oh, forgive ! ” Then a cry 
Of agony that pierced me to the heart. 

As, groveling on the ground, he turned away 
And hid his face, and shuddered in his robes. 

Was this the man whose face an hour ago 
Shone with a joy so strange ? What means it all ? 

Is this a sudden madness ? “ Speak ! ” I cried ; 

“ What means this, Judas? Be a man, and speak.” 

Yet there he lay, and neither moved nor spoke. 

I thought that he had fainted, till at last 
Sudden he turned, and grasped my arm, and cried, 

“ Say, Lysias, is this true ? or am I mad ? ” 

“ What true ? ” I said. “ True that you seized the Lord ? 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


23 


You could not seize him; he is God, the Lord. 

I thought I saw you seize him, yet I know 
That was impossible, for he is God. 

And yet you live ! you live ! He spared you, then ? 
Where am I? What has happened? A black cloud 
Came o’er me when you laid your hands on him. 

Where are they all ? Where is he ? Lysias, speak ! ” 
“Judas,” I said, “ what folly is all this? 

Christus my men have bound and borne away ; 

The rest have fled. Rouse yourself, and come.” 
Throwing his arms up, in a fit he fell. 

With a loud shriek that pierced the silent night. 

I could not stay, but, calling instant aid. 

We bore him quick to the adjacent house ; 

And, placing him in kindly charge, I left, 

Joining my men, who stayed for me below. 

Too long, too long, has been this scene. Here the 
curtain falls, and Judas passes out of sight. The 
curtain will rise again, and Judas will appear in 
“ The Tragedy Before the Sanhedrin.” 


The Tragedy Before Annas. 

The church mob passed out of the garden with a 
hellish glee, crossed the Kidron brook, entered Je- 


24 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


rusalem at St. Stephen’s gate, and hurried Jesus to 
the ex-high priest, Annas. This man was a repre- 
sentative Sadducee. The Sadducees were the most 
cultured and wealthy religious sect in Christ’s day. 
They held that the oral laws were not binding. 
They did not believe in future rewards or punish- 
ments, because Moses taught nothing about it. 
They did not believe in the existence of angels or 
spirits. They denied, at last, the immortality of the 
soul, and then the existence of the soul. They were 
cold-blooded materialists — the heterodox party. 

This materialistic Sadducee was appointed high 
priest in A. D. 7, and held his office to A. D. 14, 
when he was deposed by the governor of Judea; 
hence at the time of the trial of Christ, Annas had 
been an ex-high priest for sixteen years. He suc- 
ceeded in getting five of his sons and his son-in- 
law (Caiaphas) into the high office. These men 
officially filled the office of high priest, but Annas 
was the power behind the throne that governed 
matters at long range. He enjoyed all the honor 
of the office without assuming its responsibility or 
coming under its restraint. He was very wealthy, 
much of which came directly and indirectly from 




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Jesus Before Annas^Passion Play. 

(Sec Appendix 11.) 




The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


25 


the sacred office. Dr. Farrar says : “ It was the 
family of Annas who founded the four shops under 
the twin cedars of Olivet, in which were sold things 
legally pure, and which they had manipulated with 
such commercial cunning as to raise the price of 
doves to a gold coin apiece. . . . There is 

every reason to believe that the shops which had 
intruded even under the temple porticoes were not 
only sanctioned by their authority, hut even man- 
aged for their profit. There were good reasons 
why Annas, the head representative of the Viper 
Brood (as a Talmudic author calls them), should 
strain to the utmost his cruel prerogative of power 
to crush a prophet whose actions tended to make 
him and his powerful family at once wholly con- 
temptible and comparatively poor.” Annas stood 
opposed to Jesus religiously, financially, socially, 
and politically. 

A word seems needful about the building in 
which this and the next trial took place. On the 
night of these trials Annas was quartered with 
Caiaphas in his palace, evidently because they were 
expecting Jesus to he brought before them. The 
palace was not one building, hut rather a row of 


26 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


buildings around a hollow square, open to the sky. 
There was a passageway through the front part of 
the house, closed next to the street by a folding 
gate. There was also a smaller gate near thereto 
for the admission of single persons. This was kept 
by a porter. It was at this gate that Peter entered 
the palace. Jesus is now on trial on the right of 
this open court, in which there is built a fire of 
charcoal, around which are servants of the high 
priest, two maids, Peter, John, and others. 

Jesus is now standing in the presence of Annas, 
guarded by Jewish officers. Annas questioned 
Jesus concerning his apostles in about the follow- 
ing manner : “ Young propliet, how many apostles 
have you ? What are their, names ? Where are 
they? Young prophet, I perceive that you have 
been teaching your followers secretly for many 
months to proclaim you a king at this annual pass- 
over, which thing they assumed to do on last Mon- 
day as you rode into the city with the people, cry- 
ing, ‘ Blessed be the King that cometh in the name 
of the Lord.’ ” This is a double statement with a 
double meaning. Annas’ object in spying out 
Jesus’ apostles was that he might have them ar- 



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Christ Before Annas. 


Uy Hans Holbein 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


27 


rested, and thus put an end to the powerful influ- 
ence of Jesus in Jerusalem.- Jesus purposely passed 
over the reference to his apostles, for he had de- 
cided to protect them at any cost to himself. As 
to his teaching, Jesus gravely replied: “I have 
taught no secret doctrine. All my teaching has 
been done in the most public way — on the hills, by 
the sea, in the synagogues, and in the temple, 
where all who will may hear. Why do you thus 
accuse me? Ask these Jewish temple police, who 
have followed my steps closely in Jerusalem. They 
know what I have taught.” To those who were 
guarding Jesus his answer seemed to say : “Annas, 
your accusation against me is a lie.” At this, one 
of the ofiicers who was guarding Jesus smote him 
in the face with his hand. (See picture facing this.) 

Jesus, ever kind, ever self-possessed, turned to 
the ruffian who smote him, and said : “ If I have 
spoken falsely, bear testimony against me ; if I have 
spoken the truth, why do you smite me? Do you 
smite me because I speak the truth ? ” Jesus put 
those men in a close place. Not one of them could 
look into the crystal countenance of Jesus and dis- 
pute his words. Annas saw that he could not in- 


28 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


timidate Jesus, or prove aught against him by his 
worst enemies at hand, and therefore closed the in- 
sulting investigation. 


The Grand Manhood of Jesus 

To have a rope tied about the neck, to have the 
hands tied, to he struck in the face by a ruffian 
police without becoming agitated in spirit or re- 
senting the low insult, is powerful evidence as to 
the grand manhood of Jesus. He lived up to the 
top of the standard he asked the world to live by. 
For a man to he struck, and have no disposition to 
strike back, is evidence of no manhood ; for a man 
to be struck, to have a strong disposition to strike 
back, and refuse to do so because it is wrong, is 
evidence of the highest type of manhood. 


Illegality of the Trial. 

The church-mob who arrested Jesus had no 
authority whatever for their act, but were liable 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


29 


under their own laws to an arrest for forming 
themselves into a night-mob. It was a sneaking, 
cowardly church-mob. The usual and legal method 
of eftecting an arrest was for the Sanhedrin to 
meet and order it on the evidence of some trust- 
worthy person. All this was wholly wanting. 
The mob had no right to bind Jesus, for he was 
not resisting the arm of the law (he gave himself 
up) ; no right to' take him before Annas, for he 
had no jurisdiction in the case; no right to make 
him witness against himself; no right to smite 
him, and no right to leave him hound. All this 
lawlessness shows the spirit of a mob, on a level 
with which, we may truly say at the head of which, 
Annas placed himself by sending Jesus to the high 
priest bound, as though he was a known culprit. 
This had much to do in prejudicing the mind of 
the Sanhedrin and the public against Jesus. This 
was the object of Annas. He resolved to crush 
Jesus. 


The Tragedy Before Caiaphas. 


With bound hands and rope about the neck. 


30 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


Annas sent Jesus through the open court past the 
charcoal lire, where the servants, the maids, and 
Peter were warming themselves. As Jesus was 
passing the lire, one of the maids steadfastly gazed 
into Peter’s face, and said : ‘‘ Peter, you are one of 
that man’s apostles.” Looking askance at Jesus, 
and askance at the maid, Peter dropped his head, 
and said : “ Woman, I do not know that man. It 
is the lirst time I ever saw him. I know not what 
thou sayest.” With all due regard for what Peter 
became, we say. What a lie! Jesus had been liv- 
ing with Peter for more than two years, and now 
he declares that he does not even know him. Poor 
Peter ! Pie was badly confused, for he said he did 
not know what the maid was talking about. He 
saw his predicament, and fled for the porch. There 
he is goaded by another maid, and goaded by his 
conscience, and, I assume the reader desires me to 
say, goaded by the devil. We must take leave of 
Peter for a time, but we shall hear from him ere- 
long. Meantime we will follow Jesus to the high 
priest, Joseph Caiaphas, and see the treatment he 
receives at the hand of this dignitary. 

Caiaphas was ready for Jesus, for the scribes and 





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Jesus Before Caiaphas, as Used in Passion Play. 

(See Passion Play in Appendix.) 







The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


31 


elders were present with him when he arrived. 
This religious conclave, taken with other matters, 
means that Caiaphas and his clique (kleek) were 
expecting Jesus, and had made ample preparations 
to secure his condemnation, which is evident from 
the sequel. Indeed, while Jesus was agonizing in 
Gethsemane the high priest of his nation had men 
running to and fro at the dead hour of night search- 
ing for liars by whom he might swear him unto 
death. No wonder Jesus agonized in the garden ! 

Joseph Caiaphas was a Sadducee, and used his 
high office as a means of oppression. He was ap- 
pointed high priest in A. D. 25 by Valerius Gratus, 
the fourth Roman governor of Judea, and held his 
office during all the ministry of the Baptist and of 
Christ. It is historic that Caiaphas was the blood- 
iest man who had anything to do with the arrest, 
trials, and crucifixion of the Christ. As far back 
as the preceding feast of tabernacles (more than 
six months) the priests sent officers into the temple 
to arrest Jesus, hut they were captivated by his 
sublime eloquence, and went back and said : “ There 
never was a man who could preach like this man.” 
(John vii.) At the feast of dedication another ef- 


32 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


fort was made to arrest Jesus, but it was a failure. 
Enraged at their failure, the chief priests and Phar- 
isees held a death council for the purpose of laying 
a plan for the assassination of Christ. In this 
council Caiaphas said: “You are a set of fools. 
Cannot you see that the only safe thing that can be 
done is to secure the death of this man ? ’’ 

On Tuesday in the Passion Week the Sanhedrists 
(manipulated by Caiaphas) sent Pharisees and He- 
rodians into the temple where Jesus was preaching 
to entangle him in his words. The utter devilish- 
ness of these men is graphically brought out by D. 
Sacsy’s translation of Luke xx. 20, which reads 
thus : “As they only sought occasion for his de- 
struction, they sent to him apostate persons^ who 
feigned themselves just men, in order to take hold 
of his words, that they might deliver him unto the 
magistrate and into the power of the governor if 
there should escape from him the least word against 
the public authorities.” 

Such conduct, coming from men professing so 
much sanctity, wisdom, and religiousness, merits 
the name of church-mob. The plan for the arrest 
of the Christ was born in Caiaphas’ bloody heart. 


Tke Jerusalem Tragedy. 


33 


and the prosecution of both Jewish and Roman 
trials pushed by his hand. Caiaphas was far more 
guilty of the blood of Christ than was Pilate or 
Judas. 

With prejudice laid aside, let us study this 
tragedy in the lights of * chronology and history, 
in the absence of either one of which we cannot see 
the real merit of the case. 

Caiaphas and his clique searched for liars. Think 
of it! Searched for liars who would come forward 
and swear that they heard Jesus commit blas- 
phemy, offering money no doubt to accomplish 
this end! Rut no one could he found who would 
do that. At last one man swore he heard Jesus say 
that he could destroy the great temple and build it 
up again in three days. Another witness swore he 
heard Jesus say that he would destroy the temple 
and make a new one in three days. The contra- 
diction is apparent. ITothing is proven; Jesns is 
silent. Where is Peter ? In the poiyh. Caiaphas 


^Itis an an-ach-ro-nism to confound this trial with the one 
before the Sanhedrim, which confounding brings serious con- 
tradiction. See my “Chronology of Christ’s Life,” p. 362. 
The word “ Sanhedrin ” there, should be Sanhedrists. 

3 


34 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


sprang to his feet (for the long pent-up fury of his 
guilty soul was beginning to escape), and said : 
“ Jesus, have you no answer to make to what these 
men witness against you ? ’’ Jesus made no reply. 
Caiaphas flew into a rage, and, with uplifted hand, 
said: “Young man, I now put you on your oath, 
and command you to tell us, here and now, whether 
you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus replied 
(Jesus meant to claim divinity) : “ Thou hast 
spoken the truth ; I am.” Caiaphas flew into a 
rage, rent his linen robe from the bottom to the 
top, and cried out : “ Blasphemy ! blasphemy ! 
blasphem}^ ! This man has committed blasphem3^ 
We have no need of any more witnesses, for you 
have all heard him blaspheme. What do you say, 
my colleagues ? ” Where is Peter now ? In the 
porch. Listen ! I heard his voice just now. I 
heard him say: “I am not one of Jesus’ men.” 
Listen ! I hear a woman’s voice in the porch. 
She is accusing Peter to his face of being an apos- 
tle of Jesus. In tones quite clear Peter swore that 
he did not know Jesus Christ ; then fled from out 
the porch back to the fire, to which he is followed 
by his annoyers. 



Jesus Before the High PriestICaiaphas. 








The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


85 


In answer to Caiaphas’ charge of blasphemy, 
his colleagues arose one by one, and said : “ I vote 
to condemn this man; he is worthy of death.” 
Thus ended the Savior’s second trial. He is con- 
demned to die because he said he was the Son of 
God. 


The Cock Announces Peter’s Fall. 

Jesus was then led (still bound, and a rope about 
his neck) through the open court past the lire, 
where stood the servants and Peter, to the forepart 
of Caiaphas’ palace, where he was kept until 
morning. As Jesus was nearing the lire, some 
one charged Peter with being one of his apostles, 
but he firmly denied. Then a cousin to the man 
whose ear Peter cut off said : ‘‘ Peter, I saw thee 
in the garden with Jesus. I saw thee cut Cousin 
Malchus’ ear off.” Peter then cursed the man, and 
swore also, saying : ‘‘I do not know that man.” 
And, as the words were slipping oft* his tongue, the 
cock crew, and, as the cock was crowing, the Lord 
turned, and, in the light of the fire, gave Peter a 
sad, long, piercing look. It was the Savior’s fare- 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


well look at Peter until after the crucilixion — the 
look he must have seen for months and months in 
the dreamy visions of the night. The crowing of 
the cock brought to the mind of Peter what Jesus 
had said to him that night in the guest-chamber 
concerning denying him. He broke completely 
down, threw his mantle over his head, and lied 
from the palace a very sorrowful man. 


Jesus in Prison. 

From the fire Jesus was led into the prison-room 
of the palace, and guarded by the Jewish officers 
from three o’clock until the break of day, evidently, 
too, without fire, and bound. During these morn- 
ing hours Annas, Caiaphas, and their clique sep- 
arated for a brief rest. All restraint being with- 
drawn, and Jesus having been condemned to death, 
these officers felt perfectly free to turn loose their 
utmost brutality on Jesus. They mimicked some 
of his sayings, beat him with their canes, blind- 
folded him, spit in his face, smote him with the 
palms of their hands, saying, “ You profess to 



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Peter Denies that He is Jesus’ Disciple. 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


37 


foretell events — tell which one of us struck you;” 
and many other like brutalities did these bes- 
tialized officers heap on the bound Christ. The 
Prophet Isaiah graphically foretold this imprison- 
ment and mockery. (Isa. 1. 6 ; liii. 8.) 

Imagine, dear reader, how much of God there 
must have been in Christ to enable him to endure 
the foregoing brutal treatment without a murmur 
and without losing the spirit of prayer ! This utter 
brutality arouses my righteous indignation on the 
one hand, and calls forth my highest, purest admi- 
ration on the other, reaching almost to worship, 
if one should worship Christ. Jesus was so great 
that the people could not see his greatness for more 
than a thousand years. He was so lofty in his aim 
that there was no common bond of union between 
himself and common - men. He was the uniquest 
man of his day, and the flower of his race. 

By reference to ‘‘The Tragedy Before Pilate” 
(Ho. 2), the reader will find that our brother Christ 
endured a mockery by the Roman soldiers quite 
similar to the one performed by the Jewish officers. 


38 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


Illegality of the Trial. 

This trial was illegal in the following respects, 
viz. : 1. Because it was held by an illegal body — 
a church-mob. 2. Because held in the night. 3. 
Because the judge flew into a fit of passion, and 
transformed himself into an attorney against the 
prisoner. 4. Because the court sought for liars by 
whom to condemn the accused. 5. Because the 
court made the prisoner testify against himself. 6. 
Because the court had no evidence in the case. It 
had evidence that Jesus said he was the Son of 
God, but it had no evidence whatever that he was 
not that Son. If Jesus was the Son of God, he did 
not commit blasphemy. 7. This trial was illegal 
because decision was rendered in a passion of an- 
ger, and at once. According to Homan law gov- 
erning the Jews, this lawless mob that tried Jesus 
could have been arrested and placed in prison. 
For laws governing Jewish trials, see ‘‘ The Trag- 
edy Before the Sanhedrin.” 




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The Assembly of the Sanhedrin. 

(From an ancient description.) 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 

The Tragedy Before the Sanhedrin. 


39 


At the early dawn of Friday morning, before Je- 
rusalem was astir, with a rope about his neck and 
bound hands, Jesus is led before the Sanhedrin. 
It consisted ot seventy-one persons, and composed 
the supreme council or supreme court of the Jew- 
ish nation. The only legal place of meeting was 
in the “Hall of Squares,” in the temple. The 
council sat in a semicircle, with a scribe at each 
end, whose duty it was to write out the condemna- 
tion or acquittal of the accused. (See the picture 
facing this.) This council, when the Jews were a 
free people, tried political cases as well as ecclesias- 
tical. A false prophet could be tried by no other 
body. (Luke xiii. 33.) 


Jewish Laws Governing Trials.* 

1. The trial must be public, and held in the day- 
time. 

I am indebted to Dr. M. Salvador, a learned Jew, for part of 
the substance of th is article ; and to Edersheim for the remainder. 


40 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


2. The widest latitude must be given the accused 
in presenting his defense. 

3. No one could be forced to testify against him- 
self. This law was in force during all the exist- 
ence of the Roman Empire. 

4. After conviction, sentence could not be pro- 
nounced until the third day. This was done that 
the accused might have opportunity to bring in 
any new evidence. 

5. The high priest administered the oaths to the 
witnesses, in the presence of the judges and the 
accused, in the most solemn and binding manner. 
According to Dr. Salvador, the high priest said to 
each witness : “It is not conjecture, or what pub- 
lic rumor has brought to thee, that we ask of thee. 
Consider that a great responsibility rests upon thee, 
that we are not occupied by an affair like a case of 
pecuniary interest, in which the injury may be re- 
paired. If thou causest the condemnation of a 
person unjustly accused, his blood and the blood of 
all the posterity of him of whom thou wilt have de- 
prived the earth will fall upon thee. God will de- 
mand an account, as he demanded of Cain an ac- 
count of the blood of Abel. Speak’’ — that is, will 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


41 


you so testify ? Testimony had to be based on pos- 
itive knowledge of the facts related by the wit- 
nesses. 

6. Should it be discovered that a witness had 
sworn falsely, he was required to take the place of 
the accused, and suffer the penalty he sought to 
have inflicted on his fellowmau. A slave, or a man 
of bad moral character, or one feeble or infirm phys- 
ically or mentally, could not be a witness on a trial 
of capital offense. The mouth of no one was closed, 
if he pleaded innocence for the accused. 

7. Twenty-three members could acquit; thirty- 
eight could convict. 

8. After the evidence was introduced and consid- 
ered, the judges for conviction each said in turn, 
“ To me he seemeth guilty, and I condemn.’’ Those 
for acquittal said, “ To me he seemeth innocent, and 
I acquit.” If the requisite number voted for acquit- 
tal, the prisoner was released at once; but if the 
requisite number voted for conviction, still no judg- 
ment could be pronounced until the third day from 
such vote of conviction. During this interval the 
court could not consider any other cause, and the 
judges and officers were required to refrain from 


42 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


the use of intoxicating liquors, stimulants, or ex- 
cessive eating. On the third day the court con- 
vened again — not merely to pronounce sentence, 
but to further consider and hnally dispose of the 
case. If conviction resulted a second time, two 
magistrates were appointed to accompany the pris- 
oner to the place of execution. 

9. Capital cases could not be begun on a day 
preceding a Sabbath. 

10. No one could be executed on the same day 
on which the sentence of death was passed. 

11. A herald preceded the one who was to be 
executed, and cried : “A, son of B, has been found 
guilty of death, because he committed such and 
such a crime, according to the testimony of C and 
D. If anyone knows anything to clear him, let him 
come forward and declare it'.” 

12. It required the presence of twenty-three mem- 
bers of the Sanhedrin to form a quorum. 

13. The simple confession of an individual 
against himself would not decide a condemnation. 

The great maxim of the Sanhedrin was: The 
Sanhedrin is to save (not to destroy) life.” So 
humanitarian was its law that it said : Better that 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


43 


ninety and nine guilty ones should escape, than 
that one innocent person should suffer.” 

In the light of these points of Jewish law, we 
shall be able to examine intelligently, 


The Tragedy Before the Sanhedrin. 

Jesus is now standing, with bound hands and 
rope about his neck, before this supreme council; 
Annas and Caiaphas are sitting in the center — the 
former president, the latter vice-president. After 
making “ The Jerusalem Tragedy ” a careful study 
for more than a year, we feel warranted in saying 
that Joseph Caiaphas acted the part of prosecuting 
attorney, from the planning of the arrest to the 
death of Christ. 

This trial is opened not by reading the allegation 
against the Prisoner, not by reading the decision of 
the religious clique during the night, for they must 
have been ashamed to refer to or mention their il- 
legality and inhumanity before this dignified, life- 
saving body. That they were ashamed of the night 
trial is evident from the fact that no reference what- 


44 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


ever is made to it during this trial. Caiaphas, how- 
ever, manifests his low cunning by seeking to con- 
vict Jesus on the same point on which they claimed 
to have convicted him during the night. In this 
way, they got the force of the prejudice of the night 
trial into the Sanhedrin, without exposing their 
lawlessness. 

Caiaphas bluffs the case before the court by say- 
ing, “ Jesus, if you are the Christ, tell us.” Jesus 
said, “ If I tell you I am, you will not believe me ; and 
if I ask you whose son I am, you will make no an- 
swer; but from this time forward shall the Son of 
Man be seated at the right hand of the power of 
God.” By this figurative language I understand 
Jesus to say, “ From this time on there will be 
manifestations from heaven as to my divine rela- 
tionship to God.” 

‘‘Among the ancients the Deity was represented, 
hieroglyphically, as being in the clouds, to signify 
his celestial habitation. Traces of the reduction of 
that picture to language are found through the sa- 
cred books of the Jews. ‘ Jehovah rideth upon a 
swift cloud ’ (Isa. xix. 1) ; ‘ The clouds are the 
dust of his feet ’ (Nahum i. 3) ; ‘I saw in the night 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


45 


visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man came 
with the clouds of heaven’ (Dan. vii. 13). It is 
very probable that Jesus had special reference to 
this vision of Daniel, as well as general reference to 
the idea contained in this pictorial representation, 
which, reduced to our language, would mean a 
claim upon the part of Jesus to have a divine rela- 
tion to the world, and to be about to be acknowl- 
edged as a divine person.” (Dr. Deems, “Light of 
the Nations.”) The Sanhedrin was evidently fa- 
miliar with this figurative form of speech, and un- 
derstood Jesus to claim divinity ; for they asked no 
explanation of the language in question. 

In answer to this figurative language, the San- 
hedrin said to Jesus, “Are you, then, the Son of 
God?” Jesus answered, “You say the truth; I 
am.” At this the council exclaimed at once, and 
seemingly with great confusion, “We do not need 
any witnesses against this man, for by his own 
words he has condemned himself ; he has commit- 
ted blasphemy.” In hot spirit, and great haste 
Jesus of Nazareth is condemned to death for hav- 
ing committed blasphemy, in that he claimed to be 
the Son of God. This charge of blasphemy is now 


46 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


reduced to writing by the two scribes, and given 
to the prosecuting attorney, who was the bloody 
Caiaphas. 


Meaning of Blasphemy. 

Blasphemy, in a scriptural sense, means anything 
spoken against God or his honor. It would be 
blasphemy for a mere man to claim a nature or 
power belonging only to God. This is what the 
Sanhedrin claimed our Lord to have done in as- 
serting that he was the Son of God, and had power 
to forgive sin. The Jews’ fatal mistake (if mistake 
it was) consisted in failing to recognize in Jesus all 
the divinity and power claimed for himself. 

“ The Jews understood blasphemy to mean, an 
impious use of the name of the Supreme Being, 
and usurpation of authority, honor, or power be- 
longing to him alone. . . . Considered as a 

man, he had usurped the attributes of God.’’ (Prof. 
Greenleaf, LL.D.) 

If Jesus Christ was no more than a Jewish citi- 
zen, the decision of the Sanhedrin was substantial- 
ly correct; yet the trial was illegal, as has been 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


47 


shown under the head of “Jewish Laws Governing 
Trials.” 


Old Testament on Blasphemy. 

“He that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he 
shall surely he put to death, and all the congregation 
shall certainly stone him : as well the stranger, as 
he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth 
the name of the Lord, shall be put to death.” 
(Lev. xxiv. 16.) 

“ If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy 
son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or 
thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee 
secretly, saying. Let us go and serve other gods, 
which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; 
namely, of the gods of the people which are round 
about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from 
the one end of the earth ev^en unto the other end of 
the earth ; thou shalt not consent unto him, nor 
hearken unto him ; neither shalt thine eye pity 
him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou 
conceal him: but thou shalt surely kill him; thine 
hand shall be first upon him to put him to death. 


48 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


and afterwards the hand of all the people. And 
thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; be- 
cause he hath sought to thrust thee away from the 
Lord thy God.” (Deut. xiii. 6-10.) 

“And Moses and Aaron gathered the congrega- 
tion together before the rock, and he said unto 
them. Hear now, ye rebels ; must we fetch you wa- 
ter out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his 
hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice : 
and the water came out abundantly, and the con- 
gregation drank, and their beasts also. And the 
Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye be- 
lieved me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the 
children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this 
congregation into the land which I have given 
them.” (Hum. xx. 10-12.) 

It will be plainly seen by verse 10 that Moses 
and Aaron assumed to themselves power that be- 
longed alone to God, and thus blasphemed ; for 
which sin punishment was immediately promised 
(verse 12). 

“ But the prophet, which shall presume to speak 
a word in my name, which I have not commanded 
him to speak ; or that shall speak in the name of 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


49 


other gods, even that prophet shall die.” (Deut. 
xviii. 20.) 

The Sanhedrin hoped by the charge of blas- 
phemy to embitter the Jewish multitude against 
Jesus, and thus produce a universal public cry for 
his death, under which they hoped to induce Pilate 
to grant them authority to kill him without investi- 
gation. How completely they failed will be seen 
under “ The Tragedy Before Pilate ” (1). 


The Name Jesus Desired to Wear. 

The Jews claimed that Jesus’ blasphemy consist- 
ed in his claiming that he was the Son of God. 
Waving all theology, and viewing this matter from 
a chronological and historical point of view, it is 
comparatively untrue that Jesus claimed to be the 
Son of God. Kind reader, pardon me if it seems 
to thee that I have committed blasphemy by say- 
ing, (when I speak of the chronology of the Gos- 
pels, and their contents liistorically considered,) it is 
with the authority of accurate knowledge, growing 
out of years of research. 

4 


50 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


In the Gospels Jesus is spoken of as the Son of 
God twenty-nine times. He spoke of himself as 
the Son of God four times : First, in speaking to 
Hicodemus (John iii. 18) ; second, in speaking to 
the man who was born blind (John ix. 35); third, 
in speaking to the Jews in Solomon’s Porch (John 
X, 36) ; fourth, to the Jews at the grave of Laza- 
rus (John xi. 4). 

Matthew never calls Jesus Son of God. Mark 
calls Jesus Son of God once (Mark i. 1.) Luke 
does not call Jesus Son of God. John calls Jesus 
Son of God once (John xx. 31). 

Is it not remarkable that the good man who 
wrote what is termed “the divinity gospel ” should 
call Jesus Son of God only once, and that, too, in 
the last part of his last book, in the last part of his 
life ? Nevertheless this is historic. 

The term “Son of God” is recorded in Matthew 
nine times, in Mark four times, in Luke seven 
times, and nine times in John. 

The term “ Son of man ” occurs eighty -five times 
in the Gospels — thirty times in Matthew, fifteen in 
Mark, twenty-eight in Luke, and twelve in John. 
Eighty-two times did Jesus call himself the Son of 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


51 


man. According to Jesus’ biographers, he was 
called, Son of man, only twice during his ministry. 
When Jesus was on trial before Caiaphas, and 
asked by him if he was the Son of God, he 
called himself the Son of man. (Matt. xxvi. 63, 
64 ; Mark xiv. 61, 62.) When before the Sanhe- 
drin Jesus did the very same thing. (Luke xxii. 
67-69.) The foregoing statements may easily be 
verihed by reference to my “ Chronology of Christ’s 
Life.” 

It is historically true that the name Jesus gave 
himself, and that he desired to wear, was. Son of 
man. It is historically true, also, that the San- 
hedrists knowingly told a falsehood when they 
charged Jesus with constantly parading himself be- 
fore the public as the Son of God. 

Dr. M. Salvador, a learned Jewish physician in 
Paris, in writing on the trial of Jesus, says : “ The 
expression, ‘ Son of God,’ was in common use 
among the Jews, to designate a man of remark- 
able wisdom and piety. It was not in this sense 
that Jesus Christ used it, for in that case it would 
have occasioned no great sensation.” Further 
on Dr. Salvador says : I repeat that the expres- 


52 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


Sion ‘ Son of God ’ includes here the idea of God 
himself.” 

Every statement of Jesus relative to the true God 
shows Dr. Salvador to be w^holly incorrect. 

In speaking of the trial before the Sanhedrin, 
Dr. Salvador says : “ But the Senate [Sanhedrin] 
having adjudged that Jesus, son of Joseph, had 
profaned the name of God by usurping it to him- 
self (a mere citizen), applied to him the law of blas- 
phemy, and the law in the thirteenth chai)ter 
of Deuteronomy, and twentieth verse in chapter 
eighteen, according to which every prophet (even 
he who works miracles) must be punished when 
he speaks of a god unknown to the Jews and 
their fathers. The capital sentence was pro- 
nounced.” 

The reader will remember that Dr. Salvador is an 
enemy of the Christ, and that he justifies his brutal 
murderers. The Jews to this day claim that the 
trial before the Sanhedrin was regular, and the 
sentence legally just — that Jesus was accused of 
blasphemy, and convicted of the same by legal evi- 
dence. 



Despair of Judas. 

liY Passion Play of 1890. 



The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


53 


The Tragedy of Judas. 

In our closing remarks on the arrest of Jesus, we 
withdrew Judas from the scene, promising to bring 
him forth again at this crisis of the tragedy. Here 
he comes : 

Returning the Blood-money. 

That night (speaking of the arrest) I saw not Judas. The 
next day, 

Ghastly, clay-white, a shadow of a man. 

With robes all soiled and torn, and tangled beard, 

Into the chamber where the council sat 

Came feebly staggering ; scarce should I have known 

’Twas Judas, with that haggard, blasted face. 

So had that night’s great horror altered him. 

As one all blindly walking in a dream 
He to the table came, against it leaned, 

Glared wildly round awhile, then stretching forth 
From his torn robes a trembling hand, flung down, 

As if a snake had stung him, a small purse. 

That broke and scattered its white coin about. 

And with a shrill voice cried, “Take back the purse! 
’Twas not for that foul dross I did the deed ; 

’Twas not for that ; oh, horror ! not for that ! 

But that I did believe he was the Lord ; 

* And that he is the Lord I still believe. 

But, oh, the sin ! the sin ! I have betrayed 


54 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


The innocent blood, and I am lost— am lost! ” 
So crying, round his face his robes he threw, 
And blindly rushed away ; and we, aghast. 
Looked round, and no one for a moment spoke. 


Searching for Judas. 

Seeing that face, I could but fear the end. 

For death was in it, looking through his eyes; 

Nor could I follow to arrest the fate 

That drove him madly on with scorpion whip. 

At last the duty of the day was done, 

And night came on. Forth from the gates I went. 
Anxious and pained by many a dubious thought. 
To seek for Judas, and to comfort him. 

The sky was dark with heavy, lowering clouds ; 

A lifeless, stiffening air weighed on the world ; 

A dreadful silence like a nightmare lay 
Crouched on its bosom, waiting, grim and gray, 

In horrible suspense of some dread thing. 

A creeping sense of death, a sickening smell. 
Infected the dull breathing of the wind. 

A thrill of ghosts went by me, now and then. 

And made my flesh creep as I wandered on. 


Finding the Dead Judas. 

At last I came to where a cedar stretched 
Its black arms out beneath a dusky rock; 




Judas Hangs Himself. 



The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


55 


And, passing through its shadows, all at once 
I started, for against the dubious light 
A dark and heavy mass, that to and fro 
Swung slowly with its weight, before me grew. 

A sick, dread feeling came over me ; I stopped; 

I could not stir. A cold and clammy sweat 
Oozed out all over me, and all my limbs. 

Bending with tremulous weakness like a child’s, 
Gave way beneath me. Then a sense of shame 
Aroused me. I advanced, stretched forth my hand 
And pushed the shapeless mass, and at my touch 
It yielding swung. The branch above it creaked, 
And, back returning, struck against my face 
A human body. Was it dead or not ? 

Quickly my sword I drew and cut it down, 

And on the sand all heavily it dropped. 

I plucked the robes away, exposed the face— 

’Twas Judas, as I feared, cold, stiff, and dead : 

That suffering heart had ceased to beat. 


The Roman Lawyer’s Defense for Judas. 

Thus Lysias spoke, and ended. I confess 
This story of poor Judas touched me much. 
What horrible revulsions must have passed 
Across that spirit in those few last hours ! 

What storms, that tore up life even to its roots ! 
Say what you will ; grant all the guilt, and still 
What pangs of dread remorse ! what agonies 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


5t) 


Of desperate repentance, all too late — 

And its last sad atonement ! life the while 
Laden with horror all too great to bear, 

And pressing madly on to death’s abyss ! 

This was no common mind that thus could feel — 
No vulgar villain sinning for reward. 

Was he a villain lost to sense of shame ? 

Aye, so say John, and Peter, and the rest; 

And yet, and yet this tale that Lysias tells 
Weighs with me more the more I ponder it. 

For thus I put it: Either Judas was, 

As John affirms, a villain and a thief — 

A creature lost to shame and of basest heart — 

Or else (which is the view that Lysias takes) 

He was a rash and visionary man, 

Whose faith was firm, who had no thought of crime, 
But whom a terrible mistake drove mad. 

Take but John’s view, and all to me is blind ; 

Call him a villain who, with greed of gain, 

For thirty silver pieces sold his Lord ! 

Does not the bribe seem all too small and mean? 

He held the common purse, and were he thief, 

Had daily power to steal, and lay aside 
A secret and accumulating fund. 

So doing, he had nothing risked of fame. 

While here he braved the scorn of all the world. 
Besides, why chose they for their almoner 
A man so lost to shame, so foul with greed ? 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


Or why, from some five-score of trusted men, 
Choose him as one apostle among twelve ? 

Or why, if he were known to be so vile 
(And who can hide his baseness at all times ?), 
Keep him in close communion to the last ? 

Naught in his previous life, or acts, or words, 
Shows this consummate villain that, full grown. 
Leaps all at once, to such a height of crime. 

Again, how comes it that this wretch, whose heart 
Is cased to shame, flings back the paltry bribe ? 
And when he knows his Master is condemned. 
Rushes in horror out to meet his death ? 

With fingers pointed at him in the crowd, 

Did all men flee his presence, till he found 
Life to be intolerable ? Nay, not so ; 

Death came too close upon the heels of crime. 

He had but done what all his tribe deemed just. 
All the great mass (I mean the upper class)-- 
The Rabbis, all the Pharisees, and priests ; 

Aye, and the lower mob, as well — who cried, 

“ Give us Barabbas ! Christus to the cross ! ” 

These men were all of them on Judas’ side, 

And Judas had done naught against the law. 

Were he this villain he had but to say, 

“ I followed Christus till I found, at last. 

He aimed at power to overthrow the State ; 

I did the duty of an honest man. 


58 


T'he Jerusalem Trayedy. 


I, traitor! you are traitors who reprove.” 

Besides, such villains scorn the world’s reproof. 

Or might he say, “ You call this act a crime 1 
What crime was it to say, ‘ I know this man ? ’ 

I said no ill of him. If crime there be, 

’Twas yours who doomed him unto death ; not mine.” 
A villain was he ? So Barabbas was. 

But did Barabbas go and hang himself — 

Weary of life, the murderer and thief? 

This coarse and vulgar way will never do ; 

Grant him a villain, all his acts must be 
Acts of a villain. If you once admit 
Remorse so bitter that it leads to death. 

And death so instant on the heels of crime, 

You grant a spirit sensitive to shame — 

So sensitive that life can yield no joys 
To counterbalance one bad act But then 
A nature such as this, though led astray. 

When greatly tempted, is no thorough wretch. 

Was the temptation great ? Could such a bribe 
Tempt such a nature to a crime like this? 

I say to me, it simply seems absurd. 

Peter, at least, was not so sensitive ; 

He cursed and swore, denying that he knew 
Who the man Christus was. But, after all. 

He only wept; he never hanged himself. 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


59 


But take the other view, that Lysias takes : 

All is at once consistent, clear, complete. 

Firm in the faith that Christus was a God, 

The great Messiah sent to save the world. 

He, seeking for a sign — not for himself. 

But to show proof to all that he was God — 
Conceived this plan, rash if you will, but grand. 

“Thinking him God,’' he said, “ mere mortal man, 
They seek to seize him, I will make pretense 
To take the public bribe, and point him out ; 

And they shall go, all armed with swords and staves, 
Strong with the power of the law, to seize on him. 
And at the touch he — God himself — shall stand 
Revealed before them ; and their swords shall drop. 
And prostrate all before him shall adore 
And cry, ‘ Behold the Lord and King of all ! ”’ 

But when the soldiers laid their hands on him. 

And bound as they would a prisoner vile. 

With taunts and mockery and threats of death, 

He all the while submitting, then his dream 
Burst into fragments with a crash. Aghast, 

The whole world reeled before him ; the dread truth 
Swooped like a sea upon him, bearing down 
His thoughts in wild confusion. He who dreamed 
To open the gates of glory to his Lord, 

Opened, in their stead, the prisoner’s jarring door. 


60 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


And saw above him his dim dream of love 
Change to fury, stained with blood and crime. 
And then a madness seized him, and remorse. 
With pangs of torture, drove him down to death. 


Illegality of the Sanhedrin Trial. 

The trial before the Sanhedrin was illegal on the 
following points, viz. : 

First. No opportunity whatever was given the 
Prisoner for defense. 

Second. The court combined to force the Pris- 
oner to testify against himself. 

Third. The Sanhedrists made witnesses out of 
themselves, thus stultifying themselves to the low- 
est degree. 

Fourth. The testimony the Sanhedrists did wit- 
ness against Jesus was a lie. Jesus did not speak 
disrespectfully of God, and only claimed for him- 
self what God said he was. (Matt. iii. 17.) 

Fifth. The court passed decision on Jesus imme- 
diately, and in a fit of anger. 

Sixth. The trial was begun the day preceding a' 
Sabbath. 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


61 


Seventh. Jesus was executed on the same day on 
which he was tried and condenined. 

Eighth. The Sanhedrin sought the death of the 
Prisoner from first to last, instead of seeking to 
save his life. 

Ninth. Because the judge (president of the San- 
hedrin) acted as prosecuting attorney. 

“Let us see who proceeded to interrogate Jesus. 
This was that same Caiaphas who, if he had in- 
tended to remain a judge, was evidently liable to 
objection ; for in the preceding assembly he had 
made himself the accuser of Jesus. . . . Who 

was this Caiaphas, at once an accuser and judge ?” 
(Dr. Dupin.) 

According to the laws by which the Sanhedrin 
professed to be governed, each one who voted 
against Jesus was liable to suffer the penalty placed 
on him. We cannot think Nicodemus or Gamaliel 
was present. 

It is almost certain the Sanhedrin did not have 
a quorum (twenty-three) at this meeting, because 
they met at daybreak, instead of nine o’clock, the 
regular time for meeting. In order to have had a 
full attendance at this early hour, some one would 


62 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


have had to go through Jerusalem iu the night and 
notify the members to meet at daybreak, instead of 
the usual hour. Every act of the Sanhedrin evi- 
dences that they would not take this pains in or der 
to proceed lawfully. 

Tenth. The hour on which the Sanhedidn met 
was illegal. 

Indeed, indeed, the Sanhedrin was a church-mob 
that sought to conceal the martyrdom of Jesus 
Christ under the damnable cloak of church-trial. 
There is no persecution so bitter and bloodthii’sty 
as that which comes from religion. This is historic. 
Bear in mind, my dear reader, that we said religion 
— not Christianity; for one is (or may be) as far 
from the other as heaven is from hell. 


Br. Adam Clarke on the Tragedy of Judas.* 

‘‘ There is room for hope in his death. The chief 
priests who instigated Judas were worse men than 
himself, and if mercy was extended to those, the 


*'See Dr. Clarke’s Commentary on Acts i. 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


63 


wretched penitent traitor did not die out of the 
reach of the yearning of his bowels. And I contend, 
further, that there is no positive evidence of the 
final damnation of Judas in the sacred text. I would 
not set up, knowingly, any plea against the claims 
of justice; and God forbid that a sinner should be 
found capable of pleading against the cries of mer- 
cy on behalf of a fellow-culprit. Reader, learn 
from thy Lord this lesson : ‘Blessed are the merci- 
ful, for they shall obtain mercy.’ ” 


The Tragedy of Judas. 

(By Henry W. Longfellow.) 

Lost! lost! forever lost! I have betrayed 
The innocent blood. Oh, God, if thou art love, 
Why didst thou leave me naked to the tempter? 
Why didst thou not commission thy swift lightning 
To strike me dead ? or why did I not perish 
With those by Herod slain — the innocent children, 
Who went with playthings in their little hands 
Into the darkness of the other world, 

As if to bed ? Or wherefore was I born, 

If thou, in thy foreknowledge, didst perceive 
All that I am, and all that I must be ? 


64 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


I know I am not generous, am not gentle 
Like other n?en ; but I have tried to be, 

And I have failed. I thought by follow ing Him 
I should grow like Him ; but the unclean ^'^pirit 
That from childhood up hath tortured me 
Hath been too cunning for me. 

Am I to blame for this? Ami to blame 
Because I cannot love, and ne’er have knowm 
The love of woman or the love of children ? 

It is a curse and a fatality — 

A mark that hath been set upon my forehead 
That none shall slay me — for it were a mercy 
That I w^ere dead, or never had been born. 

Too late ! too late ! I shall not see Him more 
Among the living. That sweet, patient face 
Will never more rebuke me ; nor those lips 
Repeat the words, “One of you shall betray me.” 
It stung me into madness. How I loved. 

Yet hated Him! But in the other w'orld 
I will be there before Him, and will wait 
Until He comes, and fall down on my knees 
And kiss His feet, imploring pardon— pardon 

I heard Him say, “All sins shall be forgiven 
Except the sin against the Holy Ghost ; 

That shall not be forgiven in this wmrld. 

Nor in the world to come.” Is that my sin ? 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 65 

Have I offended so there is no hope 

Here, nor hereafter? That I soon shall know. 

Oh, God, have mercy ! Christ, have mercy on me ! 

[ Throws himself headlong from the clif.'] 


6 








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PART SECOND. 


THE ROMAN, OR JUDICIAL, TRIALS. 

The Tragedy Before Pilate. (I.) 

The trials of the Christ we have reviewed were 
ecclesiastical, and conducted wholly by the Jews. 
The succeeding trials were all conducted by the 
Romans, who were forced into measures by the 
Jews, who had in Jerusalem an overwhelming ma- 
jority. 

The Jews Under Roman Government. 

Augustus Caius Julius Csesar Octavonanus was 
Emperor of Rome from B. C. 30 to A. D. 14. In 
B. C. 8 the Roman Senate named the month “ Sex- 
tilis ” August, in honor of Augustus. After the 

(67) 


68 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


death of Herod the Great, Archelaus, his son, was 
governor of Samaria, Judea, ‘>nd Idumea, until A. 
D. 6, when Palestine was conquered by the Ro- 
mans, Archelaus deposed, and the territory he gov- 
erned annexed to Syria, the governor of which 
was the highest authority under the Emperor Au- 
gustus. The governor of Syria had the power to 
appoint governors over the subordinate provinces. 
Publius Sulpius Quirinius, called by Luke Cyreni- 
us, was governor of Syria when Archelaus was ban- 
ished. Samaria, Judea, and Idumea are now a part 
of the Roman Empire, governed by it, at long 
range, by the governor of Syria. 

Coponius was the first Roman governor of Judea, 
and held his office from A. D. 6 to A. D. 9. Mar- 
cus Amhivins, the second. He held his office from 
A. D. 9 to A. D. 12. Annins Rufus was the third 
governor. He held his office from A. D. 12 to A. 
D. 15. Emperor Augustus Csesar died A. H. 14. Ti- 
berius Claudius Nero Csesar became Emperor of 
Rome A. D. 15, and continued to reign until after 
the death of Christ. Yalerius Grains was the 
fourth Roman governor of Judea. He held his of- 
fice from A.D. 15 to A. D. 26. Pontius Pilate was 




Augustus Caesar, Emperor of Rome. 

Horn H. C. 63. Died A. D. 14. (See Appendix D.) 



The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


69 


the fifth governor, and held his office from A. D. 
26 to A. D. 36. 


Emperors — The Senate — Pilate’s Jurisdiction.* 

Pontius Pilate was appointed governor directly 
by Tiberius Csesar. 

‘‘ In the time of Augustus Caesar every power was 
derived from the Roman Senate, and every law rat- 
ified by their sanction. Their regular meetings 
were held on three stated days in every month — 
the Calends, the Kones, and the Ides.” (Gibbon’s 
Rome.) 

“ The true criminal law among the Romans came 
into existence B. C. 149, forty-nine years before 
Julius Caesar. The emperors at first committed an 
extensive criminal jurisdiction to the Senate. . . 

. Then an emperor was no more, nominally, than 
a senator. Gradually the punishment of crimes 
was transferred to magistrates directly nominated 
by the emperor, and the privileges of the Senate 

■*The substance of the last two headings was gleaned from 
McClintock and Strong’s Biblical Encyclopaedia. 


70 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


passed to the Imperial Privy Council, which be- 
came a court of ultimate criminal appeal. Under 
this state of government came the doctrine, ‘ The 
sovereign is the fountain of all justice, and reposito- 
ry of all grace.’ ” (Prof. Maine, on Ancient Law.) 

Sometimes in a small territory — especially in one 
contiguous to a large province, and dependent upon 
it — the procurator was head of the administration, 
and had full military and judicial authority, though 
he was responsible to the governor of the neighbor- 
ing province. Thus Judea was attached to Syria, 
upon the deposition of Archelaus, in A. D. 6, and 
a procurator appointed to govern it, with Caesarea 
for its capital. 

Judea was a sub- province of Syria. In one re- 
spect the governors of Judea were more powerful 
than the procurators of Syria ; for, being regarded 
as the immediate emissaries and representatives of 
Caesar, by whom they were appointed to an indeli- 
nite term of office, they had the power of inflicting 
capital punishment at their own discretion. (John 
xix. 10.) 

Pilate was subject to Vitelles, the governor of 
Syria, who sent him to Rome to appear before 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


71 


C^sar, in answer to a complaint brought against 
him by the Samaritan Council. Pilate’s official res- 
idence was at Csesarea, where he had a judgment- 
seat in the audience chamber. He was assisted by 
a council, whom he consulted in difficult cases. It 
was not the Jewish Council, but his own — the Ro- 
man assessors. (Acts xxv. 12.) 


Pilate’s Military Strength. 

Pilate’s military strength in Judea was a cohort, 
which consisted of 500 to 600 foot-soldiers. A sin- 
gle cohort was stationed at Jerusalem, as the ordi- 
nary standing guard. At the great feasts, howev- 
er, a larger force was sent up for the sake of pre- 
serving order. 


Legal Relation of Jews to Romans. 

“ When the matter in question was a capital case, 
the Roman authorities not only ordered the execu- 
tion of a sentence, but also took cognizance (cogni- 


72 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


tio) of the crime. It had the right of jurisdiction 
a priori y and that of passing judgment in the last 
resort. If Pilate himself had not had this power 
by special delegation (vice presidis), it was vested in 
the governor within whose territorial jurisdiction 
the case occurred ; hut, in any event, we hold it to 
he clear that the Jews had lost the right of con- 
demning to death any person whatever, not only so 
far as respects the execution, but the passing of the 
sentence. This is one of the best settled points in 
the proviiicial law of the Romans. 

“Accordingly, by the Roman law, the adminis- 
tration of justice was so far prohibited to the offi- 
cers that they could not punish even by a simple 
fine.” (M. Dupin, LL. D., on The Trial of Jesus.) 

It should be borne in mind, in studying the com- 
ing trials of Christ, that the Jews were a conquered 
people, and were mere citizens of the Roman gov- 
ernment. They were left free to govern their re- 
ligious matters in accordance with their own laws, 
when it would not conflict with the laws of Rome ; 
but they had no jurisdiction over the liberties of a 
citizen — no criminal jurisdiction whatever. Their 
laws concerning blasphemy (which was a crime) 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


73 


were null and void ; therefore the trial before the 
Sanhedrin was rebellion against Roman law. 


Jewish Modes of Punishment. 

The Jewish modes of punishment were stoning, 
beheading, burning, and strangling. All power to 
punish for a crime becoming null and void among 
the Jews, they were necessitated to appeal to the 
Roman governor of Judea, in whom was vested 
the power of life and death for both Jews and 
Romans. 

Crucifixion was not originally a Roman mode of 
punishment. Alexander the Great introduced this 
method of punishment in Palestine, from the 
Phoenicians. Crassus introduced it into Roman 
custom. Crucifixion was practiced by Egyptians, 
Grecians, and Romans, but never by the Jews. 
Of course Pilate would adopt a Roman mode 
of punishment, and utterly reject any that was 
Jewish. 


74 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


Pilate’s Eesidence in Jerusalem. 

When in Jerusalem Pilate occupied the great 
palace built by Herod the Great. Dr. Geikie says • 
“ It was the pride of Jerusalem. The great dining- 
hall had been constructed to supply table couches 
for three hundred guests. . . . The open space 

before the palace was laid out in broad walks, 
planted with long avenues of different trees. . . . 
Its inclosure (large enough to permit almost an army 
to be gathered in it) ran along the inner side of 
the first city wall, and was connected with the great 
castles of white stone — Mariamne, Hippicus, and 
Phasaelus — which Herod had built. ... It 
was the vast citadel palace, in which the tragedies 
of the ffimily of Herod have been enacted. . . . 

By right of war the Romans had taken it, as the 
chief building of the city, for the residence of the 
procurators.” 

Theodore Keim says: “A wall 52| feet high sur- 
rounded the entire palace, which was situated on 
the northwest of the upper city, contiguous to the 
first city wall, with its imposing white towers — 
Mariamne, Hippicus, and Phasaelus.” 


T'he Jerusalem Tragedy, 


75 


‘‘ The Judgment-Hall ” — Pretorium.’’ 

The judgment-hall (called pretorium by Mark) 
was on the east end of the palace, and faced the 
open space adorned by walks and trees. It was 
into this hall Jesus was sent by the Jews when 
lirst taken to Pilate, and from which he was taken 
to Calvary. 

The Pavement, or Gabbatha. 

The pavement, or Gahhatha, which means the 
high place, was a raised platform in front of the 
judgment-hall, which could be entered from the 
pavement by a door. This pavement was laid with 
fine, difterently-colored stones. It was large enough 
to accommodate accusers to the Poman court, 
officials, Pilate’s body-guard, and a few distin- 
guished Roman citizens to give dignity and pres- 
tige to the Roman law. The steps leading up to 
the pavement were occupied by the Savior’s accus- 
ers. During the trial of a Roman citizen there was 
sitting-room given on the pavement for the accus- 


76 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


ers and the accused, but for the conquered Jews in 
Judea it was not so. 

The Judgment- Seat. 

This was a fine, large chair on the pavement, in 
which the governor sat to pronounce sentence. Dr. 
Geikie thinks this chair was the old golden seat of 
Archelaus. Yes, perhaps used originally by Herod 
the Great. It will be noticed that Pilate did not 
sit down on the judgment-seat, until he thought 
himself compelled to render decision in the case. 

In the investigation of this trial the reader should 
bear constantly in mind that the Jews were serv- 
ants of Rome (Roman citizens), and that Pilate was 
a Roman (a heathen), whose highest conception of 
God was the deification of the Roman Emperor Ti- 
berius. Pilate knew of gods by the thousands, but 
concerning the true God he knew nothing. 


The Tragedy Before Pilate. (I.) 


The last trial reviewed showed Jesus in the “ hall 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


77 


of squares,” before the Sanhedrin, condemned to 
death by it for having committed blasphemy. Early 
in the morning this great body, and a multitude, 
may be seen moving with quick step to the palace 
occupied by Pilate. Jesus is bound and led, as 
heretofore described; and, on reaching the palace, 
he is thus presented to Pilate in the judgment- 
hall. 

The Sanhedrists were eager to imbrue their hands 
in the blood of Christ, but they would not enter 
that grand palace after it had passed into the 
hands of the heathen, lest their purity might be de- 
filed. What hellish religiousness! By their own 
law these Sanhedrists were obliged to spend the 
day fasting on which they condemned the Son of 
God to death. The gathering of the “ whole coun- 
cil,” delivering Jesus bound, and the gathering of a 
multitude, was for the purpose of making Pilate 
believe that their Prisoner was one of the vilest, and 
induce him to yield at once to their clamor for his 
death, without investigation. Blasphemy was the only 
charge the Sanhedrin had against Jesus, and the}^ 
knew that Pilate did not know what that meant; 
hence the concealment of the real charge. Watch 


78 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


for it. I think it no injustice to state that Caiaphas 
was prosecuting attorney, from the trial before him 
until the close of the last one before Pilate. Dr. 
Salvador, the Jew, says, ‘‘ Caiaphas constituted 
himself the accuser of J esus.’’ 

Without interrogating the Prisoner, Pilate went 
out on the pavement and opened the case by ask- 
ing the Sanhedrists to produce the charges against 
him. This shows Pilate knew nothing of the con- 
demnation of Jesus by the Sanhedrin. This gave 
them to understand that Pilate proposed to hold 
in his own hands the power to hear the case — to 
weigh the evidence, and to render decision. In- 
deed, the Sanhedrists had given Pilate no knowl- 
edge of their trial and condemnation of Jesus, be- 
cause they knew they had assumed authority in the 
case that belonged alone to the Roman government, 
and that that assumption would enrage the governor 
against them. Moreover, blasphemy was unknown 
to the criminal laws of Rome — unknown to Pilate; 
therefore Caiaphas kept the real charge concealed. 
Watch for it. For a moment he was perplexed. 

With a great amount of bluff', Caiaphas said : 
“Your Honor, if this Man was not a malefactor, 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


79 


this august body of divinity, these expounders of 
the law, would not have delivered him up to you.” 
This was an effort to overawe Pilate to pronounce 
the sentence of death on Jesus without a trial ; for 
they knew they had no case, and could make none 
on the charge of blasphemy. In this bluff allega- 
tion Caiaphas used one word that gave Pilate the 
keynote to the Sanhedrists’ secret working. It was 
the word “ malefactor.” This Pilate understood to 
mean some violation of their ecclesiastical laws. 
He said: ‘^I read the case clearly. The charge 
against this Man is a religious one ; therefore it does 
not belong before me. Take him and judge him 
according to your religious laws, and if he has done 
anything worthy excommunicate him. This right 
the Emperor has left with you.” Caiaphas replies : 

We have no authority to put any man to death. 
You give us that authority, and we will take the 
case out of your hands.” The power to take the 
life of a Jew or Roman in Judea could be exercised 
by the governor giving the Sanhedrin the author- 
it}^ to try the Prisoner, and if found guilty execute 
him, or by trying the accused in the Roman court 
before the governor. 


80 


The Jerusalem I'ragedy. 


Conspiracy, Sedition, and Treason. 

When Caiaphas saw that Pilate would not grant 
the Sanhedrin the power to take the life of their 
Prisoner, he created three charges against Jesus on 
the spur of the moment, by saying: “ We found 
this Man in the act of conspiracy against the Jew- 
ish nation, by turning the people from the true God. 
We found this Man committing sedition against 
the Roman Empire, by forbidding the people to 
give tribute to Csesar. We found this Man com- 
mitting high treason against the Roman Empire, 
by setting himself up for a King in opposition to 
King Tiberius Caesar.” 

The heart of man never conceived, nor did the 
lips of man ever utter, three more base or gigantic 
lies at one breath, in one sentence. That this 
charge was shrewd and sharp we must admit, but 
it was not spontaneous. It was the crystallizing of 
long study, and deliberate planning of cold-blooded 
murder. 

As to Jesus perverting the Jewish nation from 
the true God, every intelligent reader knows the 



Tiberias Caesar. 

Emperor of Rome A. U. 15, until after the death of Christ. 



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The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


81 


reverse to be true. As to forbidding the people to 
pay tribute to Tiberius Csesar, we know he said, 
“ Render to Csesar the things that are Csesar’s, and 
to God the things that are God’s.” 

“ The Pharisees held it unlawful to acknowledge 
or pay tribute to the Roman Emperor, because they 
were forbidden by the law of Moses to set a King 
over them who was a stranger, and not of their own 
country. (Deut. xvii. 5.) 

“ The other party was composed of the partisans 
of Herod, who understood this law to forbid only 
the voluntary election of a stranger, and therefore 
esteemed it not unlawful to submit and pay trib- 
ute to a conqueror. These two parties, though 
bitterly opposed to each other, united in the at- 
tempt to entangle Jesus by the question, ‘Is it 
lawful to give tribute to Cjesar or not ? ’ 

“ If he answered in the negative, the Herodians 
were to accuse him to Pilate for treason. If he an- 
swered in the affirmative, the Pharisees would de- 
nounce him to the Jews as an enemy to their lib- 
erties.” (Simon Greenleaf, LL. D., in Harvard Uni- 
versity.) 

As to seeking by word or act to become a polit- 
6 


82 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


ical king, exactly the reverse is true ; for when the 
people would come and take him by force and 
make him king, he dismissed the multitude and 
concealed himself in a mountain until night. (John 
vi. 15.) 

The charge of conspiracy against the Jewish na- 
tion would array every orthodox Jew against Jesus. 
The charge of sedition and treason against the Ko- 
man Empire would set every true citizen of Rome 
against him. As to the hrst charge, Pilate knew 
nothing, cared nothing, and had no official respon- 
sibility ; therefore he utterly ignored it. The sec- 
ond and third he was under official obligation to 
investigate; therefore he went into the judgment- 
hall, where his court officials were, and summoned 
Jesus before him. Any could enter the judgment- 
hall who would ; doubtless many of the followers 
of Jesus did. The four evangelists give the sub- 
stance of this investigation. 

Dr. Lange says : “ Pilate could not have with- 
drawn into the pretorium (judgment-hall) with the 
Accused, in order to hear him in secret, for Roman 
judgments must be held publicly.” When Pilate 
spoke to the Jews about the case, he stood on the 



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The Tribute Money. 

Hy Titian. 


was born in Ital 
turos. 'riie painting' 
Tlio wliolo world, w 


y in 14TT. Diod in 1546. This is oiu* of t 
from which it was made is in the Dresden 
ithout Art, would be one threat wilderne.ss. 


he Artist' 
Gall<‘ry. 


s finest pic- 
Titian said^ 





The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


83 


pavement in front of the palace ; when he en- 
tered into a legal hearing of the case, he withdrew 
with Jesus into the judgment-hall, attended by wit- 
nesses and the complainants; and when he pro- 
nounced sentence, he sat down on the judgment- 
seat. 


The First Examination Before Pilate. 

Pilate commenced the official examination of 
Jesus in the judgment-hall by saying: ‘‘Jesus, are 
you the King of the Jews? ’’ Jesus said: “Your 
Honor, do you ask this question on your own 
authority, or did the Jews prompt the question ? 
Do you ask this question in a political or in a relig- 
ious sense? The charge of seeking to become a 
king was made in the open air, on the pavement, 
while Jesus was being guarded in the judgment- 
hall ; hence he did not hear it. Pilate was some- 
what agitated because the bound and comparative- 
ly forsaken Prisoner assumed to question him. 
Turning sarcastically to Jesus, Pilate gruffiy said : 
“ I am no Jew. The chief priests of your own na- 
tion delivered you to me. What have you done ? 


84 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


Have you claimed to be a King ? ’’ If Jesus had 
said, “ Yes, your Honor, I am a King,” it would 
have seemed to Pilate that he was guilty of treason 
against the Roman Empire, for a Roman knew no 
other sense in which one could desire to become a 
king. If Jesus had said, “ Your Honor, I am 
not a King,” it would have seemed to the Jews to 
be an abandonment of his claims as the Son of God. 
Jesus dared not answer yes or no. The Prisoner 
must instruct the court. “ Your Honor, my king- 
dom is not of this world. If my kingdom was a 
political one, then would my followers tight to pre- 
vent me from being delivered to the Jews or to 
you; but because my kingdom is not a political 
one, therefore my followers have not fought, and 
will not tight, that I should be delivered trom their 
or your hands.” In answer to this answer, Pilate 
said to Jesus: “ I do not understand your answer. 
Do you claim to be a King of a kingdom not of 
man? ” Jesus answered: ‘‘ I am a spiritual Kii^g. 
To this end was I born, and for this cause came I 
into this world, that I might bear testimony unto 
the truth. Every one who is of the truth listens to 
my voice.” Pilate saw that Jesus was no politi- 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


85 


cian ; no man he had ever met was so far removed 
from that. “ This man,” said Pilate, ‘‘has no pol- 
itics, no arms, no soldiers, and his very appearance 
gives the lie to the charge. He is an innocent, mis- 
guided, religious enthusiast. I will acquit him.” 


“ Pilate Marveled.” 

As soon as Pilate was through questioning Jesus, 
the chief priests and elders brought accusation after 
accusation against him (this proves that those who 
prosecuted the case did enter Pilate’s palace), hut 
he made no reply, but maintained an unconcerned, 
dignified silence. Pilate said: “Jesus, do you 
hear how many charges these chief priests and eld- 
ers bring against you ? ” Jesus answej’ed him never 
a word, which caused Pilate to marvel greatly. He 
had never seen such calm, dignified deportment in 
a prisoner, never had heard such deep meaning 
words. The trial raised Jesus in the estimation of 
Pilate from first to this point. Indeed, said Pilate 
to himself : “ It contradicts reason that the Jews, 
who hate the Emperor and me, should charge one 


86 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


of their brethren with having committed treason 
against the Roman Empire. These very men would 
be glad to overthrow the Empire. I see this Man 
is innocent.” 

On starting out of the judgment-hall to acquit 
Jesus, Pilate’s mind reverted to what he had pre- 
viously said about “truth,” and wondered whether 
the Prisoner could add anything to what the Greek 
and Roman philosophers had taught about it. 
Pausing and turning, facing the Prisoner, he said : 
“ Jesus, what is truth ? ” Ro answer came. 


First Acquittal by Pilate. 

When Pilate saw that Jesus would make no fur- 
ther answer to anyone, he went out on the pave- 
ment, in the presence of the Sanhedrists, who were 
sitting on the steps, and before the surging crowd sur- 
rounding them. Pilate then raised his hand, brought 
perfect silence, had his body-guard bring Jesus out 
of the judgment-hall and stand him by his side, 
then turned to Jesus, and in a loud, clear voice 
said to the multitude, “ I find no crime in him.” 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


87 


Illegality of the Trial. 

This trial was legal as to the proceedings in the 
judgment-hall. That was the proper place for it. 
All the plaintiffs and defendants had free access to 
this hall and to all the proceedings. Pilate was not 
responsible for the defense of Jesus, nor was he un- 
der obligation to have a jury or company of Ro- 
mans to present the case before. The right to try 
the case with whatever evidence was at hand, 
on either side, and to decide upon it, rested with 
him, and with no assumption or illegality he used 
it. 

The decision, “I find no crime in him,” was a 
judicial decision, legally announced, and could not 
have been reversed except by new evidence, or by 
an appeal to Tiberius Csesar. Therefore it was Pi- 
late’s legal duty to release Jesus at once, but it 
would have sacrificed his life to have unbound him 
and set him free in the midst of that bloodthirsty 
church-mob. Pilate saw this, and his wisdom was 
better than the letter of the law. Moreover, it is 
most probable that if reference to Herod had not 


88 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


been made, Pilate would have retired Jesus, and 
privately set him at liberty. 


A New Charge Created. 

The Sanhedrists were dumbfounded and greatly 
enraged at Pilate’s decision, for they had made by 
the mouth of their prosecuting attorney (Caiaphas) 
three strong accusations against Jesus — conspiracy, 
sedition, and treason ; and to have the governor 
unhesitatingly announce he found “ no crime in 
him ” was more than their bloodthirsty natures 
would endure. 

Matters were in a fearful crisis; the Jews were 
liable to lose their Prisoner at once; something 
had to be done, and that quickly. The stratagem 
of the prosecuting attorney (Caiaphas) seemed to 
be equal to any emergency. At once he created a 
new charge ; it was that Jesus had disturbed the 
peace of the people in Galilee, Perea, and in all Ju- 
dea. This was a lie. Jesus had not disturbed the 
peace of the peaceable people ; he had only disturbed 
the peace of the devil, his chief priests, and his elders. 


Tht Jerusalem Tragedy, 


89 


The Tragedy Before Herod (Biography of). 

On hearing Galilee mentioned, Pilate asked the 
Jews if Jesus was a citizen of that country. On 
being told he was, he informed them that the trial 
should have been before Herod, because Jesus lived 
in his jurisdiction. Pilate therefore sent the Jews, 
with their Prisoner, to Herod Antipas, who at that 
time was lodging in the Asmonean palace, about 
three squares to the northeast of Pilate’s palace. 
Pilate did not send Jesus to Herod to shift the re- 
sponsibility of further trying him, not to reconcile 
Herod to himself, but because it was a custom among 
the Romans for a prisoner to be tried by the gov- 
ernor of the province in which the crime was com- 
mitted. It was not yet seven o’clock when Pilate’s 
soldiers led Jesus off the pavement, with a rope 
about his neck and bound hands, pushing their 
way through the crowd and thronged street to 
Herod. Jesus was closely followed by the Sanhe- 
drists, the Jewish officers who had had charge of 
the Prisoner, and followed by an excited multi- 
tude. 


90 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


Hekod Antipas was the son of Herod the Great, 
and governed Galilee and Perea from the infancy 
of Jesus until after his death. Antipas first mar- 
ried the daughter of Aretas, king of Arabia Petrea. 
While living with her he went to Rome, and while 
there fell desperately in love with Herodias, the 
daughter of Aristobulus, who was his own half- 
brother. Herodias was at that time the wife of 
Herod Philip (I.), another half-brother, who was 
living in retirement at Rome. Herodias had a 
daughter by Herod Philip, whose name was Sa- 
lome. When Antipas decoyed Herodias to leave 
Philip and live with him, Salome accompanied her 
mother to Galilee, and lived in the governor’s 
mansion in Tiberius, on the bank of the Sea of Gal- 
ilee. Herodias was first Antipas’ niece, then his 
sister-in-law, then his wife. 

Herod Antipas was not a Jew by birth, was a 
Sadducee in faith, and a Roman in ofiice. He had 
a large amount of low cunning, so much that Jesus 
called him fox.” * Herod heard John the Baptist 
gladly, until he rebuked him to his face for living 
in adultery with his brother’s wife. Soon after this 

*A fox is sly, has low cunning, no conscience, no morals. 


r 






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Miss Salome Herod, with the Head of John the Baptist. 

Hy Titian. 

Born in Italy in 1477. Died 1576. Titian said, “ The whole world, without 
Art, would be one great wilderness.” 



The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


91 


Herod had the Baptist arrested in Enon, on the 
Jordan, and placed in the prison of Machserus, on 
the east side of the Dead Sea. Herod had a palace 
in juxtaposition with this prison. On a birthday 
anniversary Herod made a supper in this palace to 
his lords, his high captains, and his chief men of 
Galilee. During the festivities Herod induced his 
stolen wife’s daughter (Salome) to appear before 
his dignitaries in operatic costume, and dance for 
their impure edification. She was at her best ; 
stimulated with wine and the importance of the oc- 
casion made her do her best. The bestialized king 
was so pleased, if not enamored, that he publicly 
promised (clinching the promise with an oath) that 
he would give her any reward for her services that 
she would ask, even to the half of his kingdom. 
She must have been a very charming girl ; it must 
have been a very charming dance. She lightly 
tripped across the banquet-hall into the bed-cham- 
ber of her mother, and told her what the king had 
said. The mother lightly clapped her hands, and 
said : “ My daughter, ask the king for the head of 
John the Baptist in a charger ” — a large flat dish. 
Bushing back into the banquet-hall, in the presence 


92 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


of the dignitaries the young lady made a graceful 
bow, and said : “ If the king please, I will take as my 
reward the head of John the Baptist on a charger ; ” 
then bowed again, and left the hall. 

Herod was exceedingly sorry that his stepdaugh- 
ter, his niece, had asked for the head of the Bap- 
tist ; he would have preferred to give the half of 
his kingdom, but because of the oath he had made 
in the presence of his captains and his lords, he 
would imbrue his hands in the blood of that holy 
man, rather than break his sinful oath. 

It is a great sin to swear unto a sin, 

But greater sin to keep a sinful oath. 

Who can be hound by any solemn vow 
To do a murderous deed ? — Shakespeare. 


The Beheading of the Baptist. 

In hot haste the vow was made ; in the same 
haste shall it be kept. “ Immediately ’’ Herod or- 
dered his body-guard to bring the head of the Bap- 
tist to him on a charger, ordering his boldest sol- 
dier to strike the fatal blow. They went into the 












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Beheading of John the Baptist. 

1{y A'andeu Weyden. 


Horn 1400. Died 1464. 



The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


93 


adjoining room, where the Baptist was (for so the 
jail was built), and found him on bended knees, his 
hands clasped before him, his eyes turned heaven- 
ward, his long, uncut hair falling far down his shoul- 
ders, his lips moving stilly. He was engaged in de- 
vout prayer. They seized him, leaned him back- 
ward on the death-block they took with them ; two 
hold his feet, two hold his hands ; the executioner 
adjusts his long hair on the floor, places his right 
foot flrmly on it. The Baptist then softly closed 
his eyes, but moved his lips. I see the death-ax 
go up ; I hear the death-ax go down. The soldier 
backward dashed, and stood aghast. There was a 
headless body struggling on the floor, and a saint- 
ly head, with large blue eyes opening and shutting 
in the face of its murder, and all was over. 

The head was placed on a charger, and speedily 
given to Herod. One look he gave it, and handed 
it to the dancing girl, and she gave it to her black- 
hearted mother. Methinks for years and years 
the gory head of John haunted Herod and Herodi- 
as in the thick darkness, as they were in a dreamy 
sleep. They may have heard his dying groans, 
when none but God was near. 


94 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


A few months after the death of John, Herod 
threatened to kill the Christ if he did not leave 
Galilee, but saw him no more until the hour to 
which we have now come. This is the bestialized, 
bloody man before whom Christ, the holy, now 
stands, to be tried the fifth time. Herod was glad 
to see Jesus, because when he saw him he knew he 
was not the Baptist risen from the dead, as he had 
feared was true. Glad to see him in custody of the 
Roman soldiers ; glad to see him, too, because he 
desired to have Jesus perform a miracle, that he 
might see by what kind of a trick it was done ; 
Herod, instead of entering into an examination of 
the charges against Jesus, as Pilate expected him 
to do, began questioning him in a silly, half-witted 
way about how he performed miracles, and insist- 
ing that he perform one then to entertain the peo- 
ple. To each and every question Jesus gave Herod 
a withering silence, that became more and more 
distressing. Dr. Deems says: ‘‘Jesus looked at 
him with that broad look which innocent manliness 
gives to crime.’’ 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


95 


“He Opened Not His Mouth/' 

Jesus dined with publicans and sinners, talked 
frankly with the Roman governor, conversed with 
Caiaphas, the hypocritical bigot, spoke most kind- 
ly to the dying penitent robber on the cross, be- 
cause there was in each of them some desire to know 
the truth ; but to all the questions put to him by 
this low-cunning, bestialized adulterer and assassin, 
he opened not his mouth. (Isa. liii. 7.) It would 
have been beneath the nobility and dignity of Jesus 
to have made reply to such jesting questions. The 
church-mob is on hand, as it has ever been since 
the arrest, and as soon as the curiosity of Herod 
was satisfied they step in front of Jesus, and most 
vehemently accuse him of many things, but fail to 
bring a single witness to substantiate their charges. 

The dignified silence of Jesus was far more difii- 
cult to bear than answers would have been, for the 
silence made Herod feel that Jesus regarded him as 
a whippersnapper ; and no less grating was this si- 
lence on the dignitaries — the church-mob. Herod 
then resolved to belittle Jesus to the full extent of 


96 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


his ability, and make him a matter of sport by throw- 
ing a robe about his shoulders, then mocked him 
himself, and encouraged his soldiers to do the same. 
But to all of this, came nothing but eloquent si- 
lence, that became more and more distressing and 
hard to endure. They mocked Jesus as King by 
saying, “ You are a nice candidate for a Roman em- 
peror ! You look like the King of the Jewish race ! 
You look like you could destroy the great temple, 
and build another in three days ! ” 

Seeing that Jesus could not be induced to recog- 
nize him or his soldiers, Herod returned him to 
Pilate, accompanied by the following communica- 
tion, which read thus: Most Koble Pilate, Gov- 
ernor of Judea — I, Herod Antipas, Governor of 
Galilee and Perea, find no cause of death in Jesus 
of Nazareth.” 


Illegality of the Trial. 

Nothing that was done was legal, and to call the 
mockery a trial is a misnomer. Jesus being a cit- 
izen of Herod’s kingdom, it was his duty to protect 
him, and see that he had a fair chance to vindicate 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


97 


himself. Indeed the Christ, the holy, never stood 
before a more complete shell of a man than Herod. 


The Tragedy Before Pilate. (II.) 

With a rope around his neck, with hands bound, 
and with the scarlet robe thrown over his shoulders, 
Herod’s soldiers led Jesus from the Asmonean 
palace to the palace built by Herod the Great, but 
now occupied by Pilate by virtue of Roman con- 
quest. The difficulty between Herod and Pilate, 
occasioned by the latter slaying some of the sub- 
jects of the former in Jerusalem, was by this great 
tragedy buried, and the two governors were made 
friends. Great calamities bury small difficulties. 

It must be borne in mind that this is the time for 
the annual Passover, and that Jerusalem and its 
suburbs are flooded with people from far and near. 
It is said that in A. D. 65 8,000,000 of Jews attend- 
ed the Passover, and Josephus informs us that at a 
later Passover 256,500 paschal lambs were slain. 
Counting twelve to each lamb, there were 8.073,000 
souls at that Passover. It is perfectly safe to say 
7 


98 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


that at the very hour Jesus was led from Herod to 
Pilate there were 2,000,000 of people in and near 
Jerusalem. 

By the foregoing facts one can readily see how 
vast must have been the multitude, and how great 
the excitement, when Jesus was led through the 
streets, as late before described, and re-delivered to 
Pilate. From every direction, in every street, in 
every alley, maybe seen men, women, and children 
running towards the governor’s palace ; and as 
Jesus -is led up the steps of the pavement a multi- 
tude of anathemas fall upon his aching head. 
Many of the Sanhedrists, chief priests, and elders 
station themselves throughout the vast crowd for 
the purpose of inciting the common people to mur- 
derous demonstrations, in the event Pilate should 
make further effort to deliver Jesus. 


Pilate and Jesus on the Pavement. 

Such was the state of the multitude, when Pilate 
came out of the judgment-hall on to the pavement, 
followed by his body-guard, who led Christ, the 




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The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


99 


holy. There by Pilate’s side he stands. Do you 
not see him ? As soon as Pilate had restored order 
he called the chief priests and rulers near the pave- 
ment, and began his address by saying ; “ My coun- 
trymen, you brought this man to me, charging him 
with perverting the Jewish nation from the true 
God, and with having committed sedition and 
treason against the Poman Empire; and, after a 
full examination of him in the presence of your 
rulers, I found no fault in him touching any of the 
things whereof you accused him. When you 
charged him with committing offenses in Galilee, 
I sent him to Herod Antipas, the governor of 
that land, who examined him, and returned him 
to me, with a written statement that he found noth- 
ing worthy of death done by him. And now, my 
countrymen, I shall chastise Jesus for being the 
cause of this commotion, and then give him his 
liberty.” We do not know what this chastisement 
would have been, but we would have known if the 
howling mob had not forced Pilate from it by their 
bloodthirsty cry ; for the governor had decided to 
give Jesus his liberty then and there. 


100 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


A Muederek Preferred to Jesus. 

Pilate proposed to set Jesus free — not as the boon 
of the Passover, for that was not his prerogative — 
but because he was innocent before the law, and 
therefore entitled to his liberty. It was a custom 
of the Jews to set one prisoner free at the annual 
Passover (Mark xv. 6) ; therefore, to prevent Pilate 
from setting Jesus free, as they thought he was about 
to do, they cried out to the governor to release 
unto them a prisoner whom they might choose. 
This frustrated Pilate’s plan, but their request was 
according to custom, and the governor seemed to 
be well pleased at the suggestion, for he was confi- 
dent that if the choice was wrested from the hands 
of the rulers, and left to acclamation of the multi- 
tude, Jesus would be set free ; for Pilate knew that 
the chief priests had delivered him through envy. 

Pilate had at this very time a band of robbers, 
insurrectionists, who had risen in rebellion against 
the Roman Empire. Barabbas had been convicted 
of sedition and of murder, and was to be crucified. 
Some of the Jews must have called for Barabbas in 


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The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


101 


the original application for the release of a prisoner, 
because Pilate put the question to the naultitude by 
saying, ‘‘ Barabbas or Jesus, whom shall I release 
unto you ? ” There was no hesitation, no molding of 
public sentiment, for the chief priests had slyly in- 
structed the multitude to cry out in concert for the 
release of Barabbas, and for the death of Jesus. 
“Away with this man, and release unto us Barab- 
bas ! ’’ was the cry. 

Pilate believed Jesus to be innocent, and knew 
that the chief priests had delivered him through 
envy ; therefore the governor made a personal ap- 
peal for the release of Jesus, leaving the name of 
Barabbas out of the question : “ Will ye that I re- 
lease unto you the King of the Jews ? ” But the 
multitude cried out again : “Kot this man, but Ba- 
rabbas! Crucify Jesus! crucify Jesus!” (John 
xviii. 37, 40 ; Luke xxiii. 21.) 

Seeing that his personal influence and appeal for 
Jesus alone was a failure, Pilate put the two|candi- 
dates for liberty before the multitude again, and 
asked whom he should release. The cry was one : 
“ Release unto us Barabbas ! ” Perplexed, confused 
beyond the best use of reason, Pilate said : “What 


102 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


then shall I do unto him whom ye call the King of 
the Jews ? To crucify him I cannot, to release him 
you will not.” We will consider Pilate’s guilt at 
the close of the last trial before him. The prompt 
answer to Pilate’s question was : Crucify Jesus ! ” 
Pilate then appealed to the mob to know what 
evil Jesus had done ; hut it was the more fierce, and 
vehemently cried out : Crucify him ! ” They were 
instant with loud voices, requiring that he might 
be crucified, and the voices of them and of the chief 
priests prevailed. (Luke xxiii. 23.) Pilate, see- 
ing he could prevail nothing, that each eflbrt to re- 
lease Jesus increased the bloodthirsty spirit of the 
Jews, and that to continue the effort would result 
in a public riot, in which hundreds of lives would be 
sure to be lost, sat down on the judgment-seat, feel- 
ing that his lips must soon consent (against his 
will) to the death of that gentleman, the Christ. 

The Message of Pilate’s Wife.* 

As Pilate sat in the judgment-seat, with an en- 


■'*^She was a proselyte to Judaism before the death of Christ. 
The tradition that she became a Christian is as old as Origen. 







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Pilate Washing His Hands. 

1}y Hans Holbein. 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


103 


vironment never experienced by mortal man be- 
fore, his wife (Procula Claudia) sent a message 
hastily to him, which said : “ Have nothing to do 
in condemning this righteous Man, for in a dream 
it was revealed to me that he is purely innocent.” 

Stimulated by this message that so thoroughly 
harmonized with his conscience, Pilate called for 
water, and in the sight of the vast multitude 
washed his hands, which symbolically said, “ My 
hands have not shed the blood of this Man,” then 
in a loud voice exclaimed: am innocent of the 

blood of this righteous Man ; see ye to it ! ” How, 
if the evangelist has given the exact words, all the 
people exclaimed : His blood be on us, and on 
our children.” History echoes back, saying : It 
fell there, and the stain thereof is like the mark on 
Cain.” 


Pilate’s Death- Sentence. 

A retrospective view of this unparalleled tragedy 
will show that up to this scene Pilate has publicly 
declared Jesus to be innocent four times; and now 
Pilate does not pass any sentence against Jesus ju- 


104 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


dicially ; nor does he claim, or ever claim, so to do. 
The real sentence Pilate passed was this : “ I do 
CONSENT (against my will) to the crucifixion of 
Jesus, under the pretense you make that he has 

COMMITTED SEDITION AND TREASON AGAINST THE KOMAN 

Empire.” The after acts and words of Pilate will 
bear evidence that he never set his judicial signa- 
ture to a single charge brought against Jesus. In- 
deed, Pilate publicly covered up the charge of trea- 
son against Jesus by the inscription he wrote and 
placed upon the cross. He did not write, as the 
Jews would have had him do, “ This is Jesus, who 
committed treason against the Roman Empire ; ” 
hut he wrote, ‘‘ This is Jesus, the King of the 
Jews.” It meant : They have crucified their King. 
How careful Pilate was to make it manifest that 
the real death-sentence was born of the Jews, and 
that theirs must be the guilt, which very thing 
Jesus said to Pilate a few moments further on. 

Barabbas is now released ; a shout of glee goes 
down to hell, the fires of which blaze higher up, as 
tragedy after tragedy becomes more tragedic. 



The Scourging of Jesus. 

By Hans Holbein. 





The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


105 


The Savior Scourged. 

Jesus is now led off the pavement, bared of his 
garments almost to nudity, his hands tied to a post, 
and scourged with the Roman scourge — not as a 
punishment, but as a customary prelude to crucifix- 
ion. The Roman scourging was far more severe 
than that of the Jews. They bared only the shoul- 
ders, and the number of stripes were limited to forty, 
save one. Among the Romans the whole person 
was bared, and there was no limit to the number 
of the stripes; the severity and number of the 
stripes depended on the spirit of the scourgers. It 
was the punishment inflicted on slaves that Jesus 
Christ, the holy, endured. The deep-rooted bitter- 
ness the Roman soldiers had against the rebellious 
Jews renders it certain that the scourging of Jesus 
was all they could inflict in the time allotted. 

The scourge consisted of leather straps or pieces 
of rope, with pieces of lead or bone fastened in the 
ends of them. These cruel instruments of torture 
the Roman soldiers plied on Jesus at their will, at 
their full strength, striking him on the breast, on 


106 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


the back, on the arms, on the head, in the face — 
anywhere, everywhere — the blood flying in every 
direction, until his entire body (it seems we can see 
it) is a network of gashes. My heart shrinks back 
from further words, blushes to further go in this 
brutal tragedy ; hut must say so terrible was this 
scourging that sometimes the teeth were knocked 
out, sometimes the eyes, and sometimes through the 
great loss of blood the poor victim would swoon 
away and die on the spot. Hide, oh hide, this 
sickening scene, and pass us further ! 

For such nobility of manhood and purity of life 
to be so brutalized calls for sympathy higher than 
man, and pity stronger than angels know. Christ 
is the King of men, the highest type of human- 
hood ; we hail to call him Brother, even now. 


The Tragedy in the Judgment-Hall. 

Pilate ordered his soldiers to cease the scourging, 
and to take Jesus into the judgment-hall, while he 
retired to his ofliice to write the inscription for his 
cross, and to make other needful preparations for 



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Christ Crowned with Thorns. 

Hy Antkoxy Vax Dyck. 

Doni ill Antwerp in Died in 1S41. Buried in tin' (’hurcdi of St. Paul, London. 



The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


107 


going to Calvary. Meantime his body-guard (for 
I do not think a cohort was at the trial) unclothed 
Jesus, pla^jed on him a scarlet robe, platted a crown 
of thorns, and dashed it on his aching, bleeding 
head ; put a reed in his right hand, bowed before 
him, and mockingly said, “ Hail, King of the Jews ! ” 
spit in his blood-stained face, thrust the reed from 
his hand, smote the crown of thorns, sending them 
home to the skull, making the blood gush from a 
score of gashes, and smote him with their hands. 


The Tragedy on the Pavement. 

When Pilate had completed writing the inscrip- 
tion for the cross, he went into the judgment-hall 
on the way to the pavement, and saw Jesus wear- 
ing the crown of thorns, the blood coursing its way 
down his face, down his beard, down the scarlet 
robe saturated through and through with blood. 
As he gazed on the silent, pale, forsaken, dying 
Man, his heart was moved to bold compassion, and, 
instead of going out on the pavement with Jesus to 
proceed to Calvary, as the multitude was momenta- 


108 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


rily expecting him to do, and as he had so recent- 
ly promised to do, he left Jesus in the judgment- 
hall, rushed out on the pavement alone, with his 
life in his hands, and boldly exclaimed : “ Behold, 
I BRING THIS Man out to you, that you may know I 
FIND NO CRIME IN HIM.” This is the fifth distinct 
public acquittal, and the beginning of a new trial. 
This was a hold, daring act, noble, but full of 
hazard, as the sequel of the tragedy will bear 
witness. 

Pilate’s body-guard then brought Jesus out on 
the pavement, in the pitiable condition last before 
described, and stood him beside the governor. As 
he thus stood, Pilate pointed to Jesus, looked at 
the multitude, and tenderly exclaimed: ‘‘Ecce 
Homo!'' (Behold the Man)! Pilate sought to 
touch the chord of sympathy in the heart of that 
church-moh, but he could not, for the fires of hell 
had burned it out. When the chief priests and offi- 
cers saw Jesus, they cried out, Crucify him ! cru- 
cify him 1 ” Not as a coward, but as hero, Pilate 
faced the mob and said : “ If you must have this 
Man crucified, you shall do the deed yourselves, 
FOR I FIND NO CRIME IN HIM.” This was the sixth 


Pilate Said, “Behold the Man! 




1 


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The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


109 


distinct public acquittal, the seventh trial. Seven 
trials, two mockeries, and a scourging in less than 
eight hours. No marvel that Jesus died so early 
on the cross. 


The Last Charge. 

When Pilate rescinded his public promise to 
crucify Jesus, turned to be his friend and attor- 
ney, the church-mob became so enraged that noth- 
ing but blood would satisfy their fiendish spirits. 
Every charge they had urged against Jesus Pilate 
had publicly declared to be unsupported by evi- 
dence. They had presented every charge their low 
cunning could invent, except the original charge 
of blasphemy. As a last resort before a riot, they 
present this charge, by crying out to Pilate : We 
have a law, and by our law he ought to die, be- 
cause he made himself the Son of God.’’ This was 
from the mouth of Mr. Caiaphas, the prosecuting 
attorney. In his first charge before Pilate he said 
it was not lawful for the Jews to take life ; now he 
claims it is lawful. 


no 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


The Tragedy in the Judgment-Hall. 

Pilate was alarmed at the wording of the last 
charge, for he did not know what the expression, 
‘‘ Son of God,'’ meant, or might mean. The bear- 
ing of Jesus during all the trials had been so no- 
ble and high, that he feared he might be a god, su- 
perior to any of the gods he had knowledge of. 
Therefore he went into the judgment-hall, took his 
seat, and ordered his body-guard to bring the mys- 
terious Jesus before him. Fixing his eyes stead- 
fastly on the face of Jesus, with the hope of read- 
ing his real nature, Pilate said : Jesus, did you 
come into this world in the same manner as other 
men, or are you from some other world ?” Jesus 
made no reply. Perplexed and agitated at this 
seeming indifference and silence, in this terribly 
critical moment, Pilate said : “ Jesus, do you in your 
utter dependency refuse to speak to me, seeing I 
have defended you with all my power ? Do you not 
know that at the nodding of my head these clam- 
oring J ews would take your life ? Do you not know 
that within me lies the authority to release you ? ” 


Ecce Homo — “ Behold the Man ! ” 

By Reni Guido. 

Born 1575. Died 164J. Original of tliis is in I’aris. 




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The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


Ill 


Bear in mind how this is put. Pilate does not 
say, I have power to save your life, for that he 
knew he did not have ; but he said : “ I have au- 
thority to release you'^ This was the truth. I^o 
charge had been sustained, and Pilate would have 
been justified, from a legal view, to have unbound 
Jesus, in the face of the mob, and set him free. 
Death would have come to him at once. 

Answering, Jesus said : “ Pilate, you seem to 
think all power is vested in the Roman Empire and 
in King Caesar ; but I say unto thee, there is a Power 
above that could easily rescue me from all the pow- 
er of Rome. The Power above permits this deed. 
Caiaphas, who delivered me to thee, hath a greater 
sin to answer for than thou hast ; for thou wouldst 
save me if thou couldst.” It seems that Pilate had 
a dim hope that Jesus could bring to bear some 
power or influence that would enable him to save 
his life, but failed to discover it. 


The Closing Tragedy Before Pilate. 


Stung by the Savior’s statement that some guilt 


112 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


was attached to his procedure, Pilate went out on 
the pavement and most earnestly sought to release 
him. It is sad indeed the evangelists all fail to 
tell us the words that Pilate used; but to what- 
ever and all he did say in behalf of Christ, the 
holy, the mob cried out : “ If you let this Man go 
you are not Caesar’s friend. Whosoever maketh 
himself a king speaketh against Caesar.” The 
term, “ Caesar’s friend,” was a title of honor the 
emperors bestowed on those who ruled under 
them. 

Pilate ordered his body-guard to bring Jesus 
from the judgment-hall on to the pavement. As 
the Savior reached the pavement, wearing the 
scarlet robe, the crown of thorns, his hands bound, 
a rope about his neck, covered with blood from 
head to feet, pale, staggering as he walked — as he 
thus approached Pilate, he turned and slowly sank 
down on the judgment-seat. A moment he was 
silent and looked down ; then solemnly raised his 
eyes to Jesus’ face, then looked at the multitude, 
and cried : “ Behold your King ! ” ‘‘Away with 
him ! away with him ! crucify him ! ” cried the 
church-mob. “ Shall I crucify your King ? ” said 



“Behold Your King!” 

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The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


113 


Pilate. “We have no king but Csesar ! ” cried the 
church-mob, the chief priests. 

Thus ends this part of the tragedy. Steadfast 
let every soul remain until the enacting of the next 
scene. 

Illegality of Second Trial Before Pilate. 

We promised to consider at this point the ille- 
gality of Jesus’ second trial before Pilate. His ef- 
fort to release Jesus when he was returned to him 
by Herod, without any further investigation, was 
legal and noble. Pilate’s efforts to get Jesus deliv- 
ered as the boon of the Passover was legal, and 
showed his kindly spirit towards the Prisoner, and 
his confidence in his innocency. 

Consenting to Jesus’s death, when no charge had 
been sustained, was illegal, and will be considered 
in the next section. The assent to crucify J esus 
being illegal, the scourging must be illegal also. 
The scourging, however, was a legal procedure, 
preceding a legal execution. 

The release of Barabbas was legal to both Jews 
and Homans, but it showed the settled determination 
8 


114 


The Jerusalem lYagedy. 


of the former to murder Jesus, and the willingness of 
the latter to abide by rights of the Jews, even when 
it was against the Roman Empire, as this was. The 
mockery in the j udgment-hall was an outrage,utterly 
illegal, and without the governor’s order or consent. 


Illegality of the Last Trial Before Pilate. 

The public rescinding of the decision to crucify 
Jesus was legal, because the decision was illegal. 
Pilate ottering his services as an attorney, and act- 
ing in that capacity for Jesus, and making a per- 
sonal appeal for his life, was belittling to his office ; 
nevertheless it was noble, bold, daring. 

The examination of Jesus in the judgment-hall, 
on his origin or Sonship, was regular and legal. 
The efforts to release Jesus that followed the inter- 
view were legal. The final consent to crucify was 
illegal. 


Was Pilate to Blame ? 


Viewed strictly from a cold, military point of 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


115 


view, Pilate was greatly to blame. But law, with- 
out the governing touch of judiciousness, is blind 
and most cruel. If Pilate had acted strictly accord- 
ing to military duty, he would have summoned his 
soldiers to the pavement, publicly set Jesus free, 
and have driven the church-mob from his palace — 
dispersed the mob. This he could not have done, 
for there were twenty-five Jews to every soldier Pi- 
late had, even if a cohort ( 600 ) were present. It is 
not historic that that number were there. If Pi- 
late had made that effort to release Jesus, hundreds 
of lives would have been sacrificed, among whom 
would have perished Pilate and Jesus. Of this 
there can be no doubt, unless Providence had 
turned the sword aside. 

Considered from a moral and judicious point of 
view, Pilate was not to blame ; for he saved the 
greatest number of lives possible, and sacrificed the 
very Man who of all men could best afford to die, 
was best prepared. That Pilate sought to save the 
greatest number of lives possible is evident from 
his report of the trial and crucifixion of Christ to 
Tiberias Caesar, in which he says : I have been at 
length forced to consent to the crucifixion of Jesus 


116 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


Christ, to prevent a tumult among the Jews, though 
it was very much against my will ; for the world 
never saw, and probably never will see, a man of 
such extraordinary piety and uprightness. . . . 

I did all I could to save him from the malice 
of the Jews, but the fear of a total insurrection 
made me sacrifice him to the peace of your em- 
pire.” (Kitto.) 

If Jesus Christ, the holy, had to be killed, in or- 
der that God could forgive sinners, then Pilate and 
Judas were not to blame. I do not argue pro or 
con, but throw the thought before your reason. 
If it was the duty of Pilate to save the greatest 
number of lives possible, he was not ; (and yet it 
seems, but only seems, a lack of fidelity to Jesus to 
say) he was not greatly to be blamed — not half so 
much, it seems, as those who professed to love him 
so dearly and knew he was divine; for none of 
those — not one of them — save the hated Judas, had 
the courage to publicly say that Jesus Christ is in- 
nocent. But Pilate Pontius — he six times declared 
that he was innocent. 

Tertullian speaks of Pilate as a Christian at 
heart. He was a type of the rich, corrupt Roman 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


117 


of his age, a worldly-minded statesman, conscious 
of no higher wants than those of this life, yet 
by no means unmoved by feelings of justice and 
mercy. 



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PART THIRD. 


THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST, THE HOLY. 


The Crucifixion. 

[An address delivered in the Church of Christ, at Lafayette, 
Ind., Sunday evening, October 7, 1894, by Prof. A. P. Stout.] 

After a song by the choir, the following prayer 
was offered by Mr. Stout : 

0, thou Infinite Spirit, who art in heaven, on this side of 
the earth, on the other side, and all around it, thou art not far 
from every one of us. We adore thee, 0 God, for what thou 
art. We rejoice in thee that thou hast created us with such 
spiritual possibilities of soul-development here, and of soul-de- 
velopment in the life to come. We thank thee for sending the 
Son of thy love into this sinful world. We thank thee for the life 
he lived — for his patience, for his tenderness, for his gentleness, 
for his meekness, for his charity, for his matchless love, and his 

( 119 ) 


120 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


wonderful grace. We thank thee, O God, for the successes of 
his life, for his bravery in chastising sinners and in rebuking evil, 
for his spotless purity, aud for the triumphs he achieved all 
along his life. 

We thank thee for the revelation he has made of thee, of the 
duty we owe to thee and to him, and that he has shown us so 
clearly the way back to thee, and the way of eternal life. We 
thank thee for the clear consciousness we have in our souls of 
the eternal life already begun within us. We thank thee, O 
God, for the heaven revealed in the Scriptures, and for the self- 
consciousness of our own hearts that we shall live at last forever 
with thee and with the Christ. 

W e pray, this evening, as we come to hold this memorial serv- 
ice, that the Spirit of God may be in every heart, that the Spirit 
of God may touch thy servant’s heart, and direct him to such 
words as may glorify thee, O God, and thy Son Jesus Christ. 
Hear our prayer, bless us in this most solemn sacred service, 
and in the end of life bring us to the paradisiacal host above, 
through Jesus Christ. To thee, to him, and to the Holy Spirit 
be praise forever. Amen ! Amen ! 

After a song by the choir, the following article 
was read, hearing the title — 

A Description of Christ. 

In ah ancient manuscript, sent by Publius Lentulus, Presi- 
dent of Judea, for the Roman Senate, Jesus is thus vividly de- 
scribed: “There lives at this time in Judea a man of singular 
character, whose name is Jesus Christ. The barbarians esteem 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


121 


him as a prophet, but his followers adore him as the immediate 
offspring of God. He is endued with such unparalleled virtues 
as to be able to call back the dead from their graves, and to 
heal every kind of disease with a word or touch. His person 
is tall and elegantly shaped, his aspect amiable, and reverent. 
His hair flows in those beautiful shades which no united colors 
can match, falling in graceful curls below the ears, agreeably 
touching on his shoulders and parting on the crown of his head, 
like the headdress of the sect called Nazarites. His forehead 
is smooth, and his cheeks without a spot, save that of a lovely 
red. His nose and mouth are formed with exquisite symme- 
try ; his beard is thick and suited to the hair of his head, reach- 
ing a little below his chin, and parted in the middle like a fork. 
His eyes are bright, clear, and serene. 

“ He rebukes with majesty, and counsels with persuasive lan- 
guage, his whole address, whether in word or deed, being ele- 
gant and grave and characteristic of so exalted a being. No 
man has ever seen him laugh, but all Judea has frequently be- 
held him weep ; and so persuasive are his tears that the multi- 
tude are unable to restrain theirs from mingling with his. He 
is modest, temperate, and wise. Whatever this phenomenon 
may be in the end, he now seems to be a man of strange beau- 
ty and divine perfection, in every way surpassing the children 
of men.” 


The Unknown Life of Christ. 

In a book authored by Nicholas Notovitch, and 


122 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


titled ‘‘The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ/’ it is 
claimed that when he was about thirteen years of 
age he went to India, and there studied the sacred 
books of that country, and that he returned to 
Palestine about three years before the time the 
evangelists represent him to have been crucified. 

We regard the book as unsupported by history. 
The reason we have no history of Christ between 
the age of twelve and his baptism is that there was 
nothing in his outward life to specially designate 
him from any other wise, pious Jew. The legend- 
ary stories of his early life are without weight. 


The Eight Texts. 

After a song by the choir. Prof. A. P. Stout de- 
livered the following address : 

My texts are eight. Chronologically arranged, 
they read as follows : 

1. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. 
(Luke only.) 

2. To-day shalt thou he with me in Paradise. (Luke only.) 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


123 


3. Woman, behold thy son ! (John only.) 

4. Behold thy mother ! (John only.) 

5. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ? (Matthew 
and Mark only.) 

6. I thirst. (John only.) 

7. It is finished. (John only.) 

8. Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. (Luke 
only.) 


The One Hundred and Sixtieth Hour. 

I have taken these eight dying utterances of 
Jesus not to be eccentric, but because I need them. 
They will most probably fall into line as I proceed, 
and in the order read. The address of this hour is 
the two hundred and seventy-seventh public speech 
I have made on the sufierings of the Holy Christ. 
Some of these addresses have been on the subject 
of, ‘‘Jesus on Trial,’’ some on, “The Crucifixion.” 
The one hundred and sixtieth effort is the effort of 
this hour to describe the death of Christ. I ap- 
proach the service of this moment with a greater 
feeling of inability, greater earnestness and inter- 
est, than on any former occasion. 


124 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


‘‘An Anointing from the Holy One.” 

I feel my inability to make this address, and un- 
less the Spirit of God shall aid me, I shall, in my 
own judgment, utterly fail. I am certain that no 
man can present this awful tragedy of the death of 
Jesus Christ acceptably to God except he has an 
unction from on high, and I really believe (and I 
say it with all love and regard for my brethren), I 
really believe this is the reason why so few sermons 
are preached on the death of our Savior. In order 
that I may bring this matter before you in some 
degree in its magnitude, I will give you the seven 
trials of Christ in one brief sentence. 


The Tragedy Eeviewed. 

It was during an annual Passover in Jerusalem 
that our Savior was arrested in the garden of Geth- 
semane, tried before Annas, before Caiaphas, be- 
fore the Sanhedrin, before Pilate, before Herod, be- 
fore Pilate, crowned with thorns, mocked, tried 






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The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


125 


before Pilate again, then brought out on the pave- 
ment in front of Pilate’s palace, in the presence of 
a congregation of more than ten thousand. 

See him ! There he stands with the crown of 
thorns on his head, the blood coursing its way down 
his forehead, down his cheeks, down his beard, 
down the scarlet robe, soaked through and through 
with blood from the hundred scourge wounds on 
his person. 

See him ! There he stands with a rope about 
his neck, pale, sick at heart, fainting, dying, 
dying, with every friend as silent as the silent land 
of the dead. In this unparalleled humiliation Pi- 
late pointed to Jesus, and exclaimed : Shall I 
crucify your King ? ” We have no king but Cae- 
sar,” exclaimed the church-mob, and the great 
throng surged around the pavement, with a full 
determination to murder Pilate, his body-guard, 
and Jesus, unless he was instantly delivered to 
them to be crucified. Pilate saw that if he did not 
deliver Jesus immediately that a bloody riot would 
ensue. Therefore, in order to save human life, he 
delivered Jesus to their will. 


126 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


Jesus Did Not Carry the Cross. 

He is led off the pavement. The scarlet robe is 
taken off his person, and his own garments put 
on him. A man seized the crown of thorns, and 
tore it from his head, fulfilling Isaiah 1. 6. He 
is led out between four Roman soldiers, and the 
cross is laid upon him — not as you see it pictured, 
for that is incorrect. It is not historic that Jesus 
carried his entire cross. No scholar claims Jesus 
carried the cross thus. It was a physical impossi- 
bility, for Jesus was barely able to walk unassisted 
when the procession started to Calvary. 

Jesus carried the transverse beams of the cross, 
fastened together in the shape of a Y, and swung 
around his neck. A rope was tied about his neck, 
and carried by one of the Roman soldiers. 


Forming the Calvary Procession. 

The centurion is riding to and fro on horseback, 
forming the Calvary procession. Jesus is led out 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


127 


between four Roman soldiers, with the cross and 
rope about his neck, and halted ; then one of the 
robbers likewise ; then the other robber in the same 
way; then the fainting mother of Jesus; Salome, 
her sister; Mary, the wife of Clopas; Mary Mag- 
dalene, the brothers and sisters of Jesus, the apos- 
tles, the church-mob, then the motley throng. In 
front of the procession is a Roman soldier on horse- 
back, holding high in air the inscription board that 
is to be nailed on Jesus’ cross. In front of each of 
the robbers a soldier carries an inscription board 
likewise. As the procession proceeds, each inscrip- 
tion-board carrier must proclaim aloud the nature 
of the crime for which the man he immediately pre- 
cedes is to suffer. As the procession neared the 
place of execution each inscription-board bearer 
constantly proclaimed in a loud voice: This man 
is led to his punishment for such a crime [naming 
it] ; the witnesses who testified against him are 
such and such persons [naming them]. If any one 
has evidence to give in his favor, let him come forth 
quickly.” 

‘‘An officer was stationed at the entrance of the 
judgment-hall, with a flag in his hand, and anoth- 


128 


Tke Jerusalem Tragedy. 


er one on horseback followed the prisoner, whose 
business it was to keep watch towards the judg- 
ment-hall. During this solemn journey the judges 
kept their seats in the council-chamber. If any 
one announced any new evidence of the prisoner’s 
innocence, the officer with the flag at the entrance 
waved a signal to the officer on horseback, who 
again brought the prisoner before the court that 
the new evidence might be heard, and, if necessary, 
the prisoner discharged.” 

What dreadful moments of suspense these must 
have been to J esus, to his mother, to his brothers 
and sisters, to the holy women, to the apostles, to all ! 
At last the centurion gives orders for the proces- 
sion to move, and it slowly starts on its deathward 
way. The procession had gone a very short dis- 
tance when it became evident that Jesus was whol- 
ly unable to carry his cross. It is commonly stated, 
and by the best of writers on the life of Christ, that 
he fell beneath the cross ; and the great and refined 
artist, Raphael, in his master picture facing this, so 
represents him. It is neither historic nor script- 
ural that he fell beneath the cross ; he may have 
done so, and I am inclined to believe he did, but I 



Jesus Bearing the Cross. 

Uy Raphael. 

Rorn 1483. Died 1520. The original of this picture was painted for the Sicilian 
Convent Church of Santa Maria dello Spasiino, and was sent to Palermo by sea. The 
vessel and all on board were lost, except this picture, which floated into the harbor 
of Genoa, uninjured by winds and waves. It is now in Madrid, capital of Spain. 





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The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


129 


do not know it. So short was the distance that 
Jesus carried the cross that Luke, who gives far the 
best record of the journey to Calvary, makes no 
mention of Jesus bearing the cross at all. 


Simon, the Cyrenian. 

When it was ascertained that Jesus could no 
longer carry his cross, the procession was halted, 
and a party sought to carry it for him. No Roman 
could be induced to perform that disgraceful serv- 
ice for a Jew, and no Jew could be induced to per- 
form said service for one they believed to be an 
impostor. After some delay in search for a person 
who could be induced to perform the shameful serv- 
ice for Jesus, there providentially came a man meet- 
ing the procession — Simon, of Gyrene, in Africa 
(perhaps a negro). This man the Roman soldiers 
seized and compelled to carry the cross the remain- 
der of the way to Calvary. This poor man, now 
the most degraded of all that vast throng, took the 
cross of Jesus about his neck, took his position in 
the rear of Jesus, and did “ bear it after Jesus.” 

9 


180 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


No Man Can Be Disgraced by Bearing the 
Cross for Christ. 

Tradition says that this man Simon and his two 
sons, Alexander and Rufus, became Christians. 
We are assured that these two sons were regarded 
by the apostles as honored disciples of Jesus (Acts 
xiii. 1). There can be no doubt but that in after 
life Simon looked to and often made mention of this 
disgraceful service as the most honorable and con- 
solatory act of all his life. His two sons, too, took 
great pleasure in stating that their father carried 
Jesus’ cross for him in his great humiliation, when 
none of his followers or relations would do so. 
Great and abiding honor rests on Simon for bear- 
ing Jesus’ cross when he could not carry it himself. 
If Simon was a colored man, great honor be to that 
race that puts to shame our own. 

According to the chronology of events, it was 
just before the procession restarted for Calvary that 
Jesus turned to the holy women, who were bewail- 
ing and lamenting him aloud, extending their 
hands in sympathy and bathing their faces in tears. 


Golgotha. 

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The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


131 


and said: “ Daughters of Jerusalem, you should 
not weep for me, for my suffering is for the glory 
of God, and will be over in a few hours; but you 
should be weeping for yourselves and for your chil- 
dren ; for if the Romans will thus treat me, a free 
citizen, how terribly will they treat you and your 
children, when you and they are their captives ! ” 


Jesus Seized by Inspiration. 

Inspiration seized Jesus. He saw forty years into 
the future — saw Jerusalem surrounded by the Ro- 
man army, saw the temple destroyed, saw the Jews 
crucified on the mountains, until there was no more 
wood out of which to construct crosses, and no 
room to plant them ; saw mothers snatch food from 
their children’s mouths, and eat it; saw mothers 
slay their infants, boil, and eat them — saw this, and 
wept. The self-forgetfulness and self-disinterested- 
ness of the love of Christ is without an equal in the 
race of man. It seems that the greatness of his 
speech and greatness of his spiritual power held the 
procession in halt for a time. The death-sorrows 


132 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


of Gethsemane, the seven trials, the scourging, the 
present sorrow, and the sorrow of Calvary that 
welled up before him — all this combined, was pow- 
erless to diminish for a moment, or suppress in the 
least, the compassion of Jesus for the sutfering and 
for the sinful. The higher he ascends Calvary the 
higher his grandeur rises and glows. 

After Jesus had closed his great address of won- 
derful, tender sympathy, the procession started 
slowly on its way, passed out at the Damascus 
Gate, and were soon on Calvary. It is outside the 
city wall, near it, near the Damascus Gate, near the 
great thoroughfare from Jerusalem to Nazareth 
and Capernaum, and can be seen from almost every 
elevated point about Jerusalem, from all of which 
it presents the appearance of a skull. From Cal- 
vary the sacred temple could be distinctly seen. 


The Death Circle.* 

On arriving at the top of Calvary, the centurion 
rides round the hill, and forms the death-circle. 


* See Appendix E. 


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Arrival at Calvary. 

r A Romun soldier is’iiuiling the traiisverse beam on the cross of Jesus; another soldier 
is baring Jesus of^ his garments ;Gthe'Centurion is'on horseback; another soldier is as- 
cending a ladder at the cross of one of the robbers :'a ml the mother of Jesus and Mary 
Magdalene are prostrate Avith gx’ief. 



The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


133 


Inside of it may be seen the centurion on horse- 
back, with spear in hand; four soldierSvWith spears 
guarding Jesus ; four soldiers guarding each one 
of the robbers ; hammers, nails, pinchers, ropes, 
ladders ; three upright posts for the three crosses ; a 
soldier nailing the transverse beams on Jesus’ cross ; 
two soldiers nailing the transverse beams on the oth- 
er crosses, and Jesus being bared of his garments 
to almost or entire nudity. Inside of that death- 
circle, in front of and near Jesus’ cross, may be seen 
Mary, the mother of Jesus ; Salome, her sister, and 
wife of Zebedee ; Mary, the wife of Clopas ; Mary 
Magdalene; the brothers and sisters of Jesus; and 
John, by the side of his mother. The holy women 
offer Jesus (by the hands of the soldiers who were 
guarding him) a drink of sour wine and myrrh, the 
purpose of which was to deaden his nerves, and thus 
greatly lessen the pain of crucifixion. When he 
saw their purpose, he shook his head and refused 
it. He willed to face death in the vigor of his 
manhood, with perfect consciousness and an un- 
clouded mind. Had he died under the influence of 
opiates, his enemies would have used it to his 
shame. 


134 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


Jesus “Lifted Up.” 

The centurion announces that the work of the 
crucifixion is now ready to begin. Soldiers pro- 
ceed to crucify the pretended King of the Jews. 
By the use of short ladders and ropes the four Ro- 
man soldiers lift Jesus up on the cross, and set him 
astride the crucifixion pin in the center. “ Lifted 
up,” because he had foretold that he was not to be 
crucified on the earth, but lifted up from it. “ When 
ye have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall ye 
know that I am he.” (John viii. 28.) “And I, if I 
be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto 
me. This he said, signifying what death he should 
die.” (John xii. 32, 33.) When Jesus was lifted 
up on the cross, a soldier bound his wrists to the 
transverse beams, placed a nail to the center of his 
hand, and with a hammer sent it through the quiv- 
ering fiesh to the wood, driving, driving, driving, 
until it was sent to its head. 

The mother of Jesus falls to the earth at the first 
stroke of the hammer, and swoons away. The 
holy women fall to their knees by her, and gaze 



Elevation of the Cross. 

15V I’ETER Paul Rubens. 

]5orn in Cologne, Italy, in 1.577. Dftceusnd in 1640. He was buried in Antwerp, in 
the Churcli of St. James. Helena erected a beautiful monument to his memory. He 
was one of the finest painters in the world. It is said that he left 1,300 pictures, and 
that no kind of painting was unknown to him. (See picture facing pa^e 160.) 




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The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


135 


into her pale face to see whether she is dead or dy- 
ing. Meantime, and without delay, the soldier 
nailed the other hand of Jesus to the transverse 
beam. As soon as this was done, the crcucifying 
soldier descended the ladder, raised one of Jesus’ 
feet until it would fit fiat on the cross, then placed 
foot on foot, and with many, many strokes of the 
hammer sent a large nail through both feet, pin- 
ning them fast to the tree. 


The Prayer for His Murderers. 

It was while the crucifying soldier was driving 
the great nail through Jesus’ feet (I am sure it was 
then) that he lifted his eyes to heaven, and uttered 
that prayer of all prayers, ‘‘Father, forgive them, 
for they know not what they do.” Jesus’ hope 
that these Roman soldiers would be forgiven was 
based on the fact that they were ignorant of his 
real nature and mission. I verily believe that each 
one of the soldiers who took part in crucifying 
Jesus repented of his sins as soon as he saw the 
true nature and mission of Jesus. Indeed, indeed, 


136 


llie Jerusalem Tragedy. 


I do believe that each one of these men are with 
Jesus this very night. I cannot find it in my 
heart to think that Jesus’ prayer upon the cross 
could go unanswered, or that any prayer of his 
should fail of fulfillment. Greater love hath no 
man than this, that a man lay down his life for 
his friends; hut greater love hath Jesus Christ 
than this, for he laid down his life for his enemies, 
and that, too, while they were in the act of mur- 
dering him. 

In all human love there is some degree of equal- 
ity between the person loving and the person loved, 
but between Jesus Christ and his murderers there 
was none. He loved, despite of hate ; he loved, de- 
spite of nails ; he loved, despite of pain ; he loved, 
when his love was not wanted. He loved those 
sinners out of hell, on the day of Pentecost. 


The Inscription Board.* 

A soldier ascends a ladder from the rear of Jesus’ 


See Appendix A, 





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The Crucifixion. 

liY Reni Guido. 

Rorii in Rolosna, France, in 1577. Died in 1642. This is the Artist’s greatest 
picture. The painting from which it was made is now in Bolognese Pin-a-co-te-ca. 
Of this picture one writer says, It would arouse pity, and compassion, even in the 
breast of a tiger.” Hillard places this above all other pictures of the Crucifixion, 
for ” dignity, pathos, truth, and for intense and overpowering realitj’.” When near 
death, one of Guido's pictures was placed at the head of his bed. He ordered it re- 
moved, and a simple cross placed in its stead. When one of his great’rivals heard 
of his death, he turned to one of his students and said, “The World will never see 
another Guido.” 



The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


137 


cross, t and nails the inscription board on the very 
top,- sending a thousand pangs to as many nerves, 
to all of which he makes no word of complaint. 
On this inscription board there were three state- 
ments of the alleged crime of Jesus — one in He- 
brew, for the Jews ; one in Greek, for the educated 
strangers ; and one in Latin, for the Romans. All of 
the world could read some one of these languages — a 
pledge, it may be, that the gospel shall be preached 
to all nations. The Jews desired the inscription to 
read that Jesus claimed to be the King of the Jews, 
but it stated that he really was their king. In this 
title Pilate published to all the world the terrible 
sin of the Jews, and that Jesus was what he claimed 
to be. 

Jesus is now crucified, and must suffer the ex- 

t “ Probably the most ancient representation of the crucifix- 
ion in existence is that discovered in the underground church 
of St. Clement, in Rome. It is painted on the wall, and proba- 
bly belongs to the eighth century after Christ. In this ancient 

picture the cross is of the ordinary shape, but with a small 

across the very top for the inscription. It is, however, very 
Jow, raising our Lord only so far from the ground that the arms 
of the cross are slightly above the heads of the bystanders. The 
feet are not nailed together, but separately.” 


138 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


treme punishment inflicted by the Romans on 
slaves who had been convicted of a capital ofiense. 
Each one of the thieves were crucified in like 
manner. 


Position of the Crosses. 

Jesus’ cross faced the South, the sun, the temple, 
and thus the inscriptions could be read by all who 
passed out at the Damascus Gate northward. The 
crosses of the robbers faced to the !N’orth, but 
were south of the cross of Jesus, which forced them 
to look into the Savior’s face, and he into their 
faces. This was intended as an eternal stigma on 
Jesus, but see further on how God turned the wrath 
of man to praise him. 


Jesus’ Costume. 

Jesus did not go bareheaded, as artists represent 
him to have done, for that was impossible under 
the S3^rian sun. He wore on his head a white su- 
dor, the end of which hung down his shoulders. 





Christ on the Cross. 

liY Akthony Van Dyck. 

Dorn in Antwerp in 1599. Died in 1641. He studied under Rubens. A'an 
Dyck was buried with ^reat pomp in the (’hurcli of St. Paul, London, and a 
inatrniticent tomb raised to his memory. 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


139 


and was bound around his head by a chord. Next 
to his person he wore a seamless, striped woolen 
tunic, which clothed him from hands to neck, and 
from thence to feet. Around his waist he wore a 
girdle, which bound the tunic close to his person. 
Over the tunic he wore a large, blue, outer robe, 
called tallith, which covered his entire person, 
showing occasional glimpses of the tunic at his feet 
as he walked. Jesus evidently wore a fringe, or 
tassel, at each corner of his tallith, or outer robe, 
bound to it by a ribbon of blue. Two of these 
fringes were put on the bottom of the robe, and 
one hung over the shoulder where the robe was 
folded round the person. On his feet he wore 
sandals. For the seamless garment the soldiers 
played a game of chance ; to whom it fell perhaps 
no one on earth knows. It is thought that the 
seamless garment is a type of the righteousness of 
Christ. 

It seems an awful, cruel thing that all the prop- 
erty Jesus had was by Roman law given to the 
men who murdered him. 


140 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


The Vilest Mockery on Earth:* 

While the Roman soldiers were playing a game of 
chance for Jesus’ seamless garment, the vilest mock- 
ery on earth, of the purest man on it, took place. 

First came a promiscuous company around the 
death-circle, railing on Jesus, wagging their heads 
and contemptuously saying, Thou that destroyest 
the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thy- 
self; if thou art the Son of God, come down from 
the cross.” 

Then came the religionists, the church-party, the 
chief priests, the scribes, the elders, mocking Jesus, 
saying, “ You saved others ; you cannot save your- 
self.” Pointing at him, they say, ironically : “ He 
is the King of Israel. Don’t he look like a King ? 
Let him pull those nails out of the cross, and come 
down and walk amongst us, and we will believe 
that he is the Son of God. He said he trusted in 
God. If he is a divine person, God will take him 
ofi that cross ; if he is not, he will not.” 

*How utterly incorrect for Dr. Salvador, the Jew, to say, 
“ This mockery was meant in sincerity.” 


The Crucifixion— Passion Play. 

(See Appendix G.) 



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The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


141 


Then the dying robbers, who were facing Jesus, 
took up the infamous saying of the religionists, and 
hurled them again into the Savior’s face. 

Then came the Roman soldiers who crucified 
Jesus, and said : “ Take a drink of our sour wine ; 
it will strengthen your shattered nerves. If you 
are the King of these Jews, save yourself from this 
shameful death.” 

For a sensitive, noble, pure being like Christ to 
be compelled to die the shameful death of crucifix- 
ion ; to be mocked while dying by the Roman gov- 
ernment, in the person of its soldiers; by the Jew- 
ish government, in the person of its religious offi- 
cials ; and by all phases of society, from the very 
highest to the very lowest, warrants one in saying 
that this is the vilest mockery on earth. 

Nothing in all the life of Christ is more wonder- 
ful to me than his loving, dignified silence during 
this vilest mockery. The self-possession of Jesus 
was indescribably sublime. No crisis could throw 
him from his balance. His equipoise was as per- 
fect as his love. 


142 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


Conversation on the Crosses. 

In the early part of the mocking Jesus both the 
robbers took part. Towards the close of the 
mocking one of the robbers railed at Jesus, say- 
ing, “You profess to be the Christ; why do you 
not get oif that cross, and take me and my comrade 
off? ” Jesus seemed to be perfectly indifferent to 
this prayer, made no reply, but gave a look that 
went deeper than can words. The other robber, 
who was already converted to faith in Jesus, turned 
his eyes into the face of his comrade, and in great 
solemnity said : “ Have you no fear of God? Do 
you not realize that you are as surely doomed to 
die as well as the Christ and myself? We suffer 
the penalty of the law for our crimes, but this Man 
has committed no sin.” Then turned his head and 
gazed into the face of the patient Christ, saw in 
him something superhuman, saw a majesty that 
eclipsed his soul, that inspired in him the needed 
faith. Lifting the hands of his soul toward the 
Christ, he said: “Jesus, remember me when thou 
comest in thy kingdom. I believe you are the 




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The Crucifixion. 

Uy lioNBONE Bi Giotto (Itulian). 
Born 1276. Deceased 1336. 



The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


143 


King. I believe you have a kingdom. I believe 
you are going into that kingdom. I do not ask 
you to remember me now, when you are suffering 
and dying ; but when your suffering is over, and 
you have entered into your kingdom, then re- 
member me. I cannot ask to be saved, or to be 
admitted into your kingdom, but only to be re- 
membered.” 

How quick this prayer caught the ear and enlist- 
ed all the powers of Jesus. He turns a deaf ear to 
the sufferings of the past, to the sufferings of the 
present, to the sufferings of the near future, to the 
prayer of the other robber ; shut out all the world, 
fixed his dying eyes on the dying eyes of the rob- 
ber, and with a love deeper and sweeter than the 
love of a mother for her dying babe, said : ‘‘ I will 
remember thee. This day I will take thy soul 
home to the paradisical host of God. This day, 
before the setting of the sun, we shall meet in Par- 
adise.” Although bound and nailed to the cross, he 
is still the strongest man in all the world, and 
pledges the power of God to save the dying robber 
by his side. 


144 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


Too Much to Be Believed. 

All covered up in love, the soul of the penitent 
robber falls prostrate at the feet of Jesus. His 
message of such wonderful and sudden salvation 
was too much to be believed, too much to be re- 
ceived, but in the secret chamber of his soul I hear 
the dying robber say : 

“ Despite thy promises, 0 Lord, ’twould seem 
Too much to hope that even love like thine 
Could overlook my countless wanderings ; 

And yet thy blood helps me to comprehend 
That if thy pangs for us were measureless. 

No less beyond all measure is thy grace. 

My one sole refuge is that love divine 

Which from the cross stretched forth its arms to save.” 

— Michael Angelo. 

It was meant as a stigma on the character of 
Jesus Christ that he should be crucified facing two 
robbers, but under the providence of God it was 
turned to an everlasting honor to Jesus to have the 
dying penitent before him. It was the salvation of 
the penitent robber to be so situated that he was 





The Crucifixion. 

Tlie inotlier of Jesus lias fainted, and is in the arms of her sister: Alary Ma<jdalene is 
on bended knees, with nptnriHHl face; the Ceninrion is awe-stricken, and stands 
agliast; tlie lioly women from Galilee turn away in horror. This was a few moments 
before .Tesns said, “ Woman, behold thy son ” — not Himself, but .John. 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


145 


compelled to face Jesus ; for his prayer for his 
murderers, his patience, his sweet silence when 
mocked, and his Godlike majesty convinced him 
that he was the Christ. It was a great honor to 
Jesus to have the penitent robber so near him when 
he was dying, for it gave him an opportunity to 
demonstrate to the whole world his willingness 
and ability to save a great sinner in the weakest 
moment of his life. 

The Ocean of Love. 

The penitent robber will be the brightest and 
perhaps first star to deck the Savior’s crown. Oh, 
the measureless height, the measureless depth, the 
measureless breadth of the love of Christ for man ! 

Could I with ink the ocean fill, 

And were the skies a parchment made ; 

And were each tree on earth a quill, 

And every man a scribe by trade ; 

The love of Christ, who died for us. 

Would drain that ocean dry. 

Nor could that scroll contain the whole. 

If stretched from sky — to — sky. — Anon. 


10 


146 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


Well might infidel Renan say, ‘‘ Jesus will never 
be surpassed/’ J. G. Holland wisely said : ‘‘ Christ 
is all of God and his attributes that could be put 
into a man.” Of course he is far greater now. 

Col. Ingersoll said : “ Let me say here, once for 
all, that for the man Christ I have infinite respect. 
Let me say, once for all, that the place where man 
has died for man is holy ground. Let me say, 
once for all, to that great and serene man I gladly 
pay — I gladly pay the tribute of my admiration 
and my tears. He was a reformer in his day. He 
was an infidel in his time. . . . Had I lived at 

that time I would have been his friend ; and should 
he come again, he will not find a better friend than 
I will be — that is, for the man.” 


Jesus Blesses His Mother. 

After Jesus had smoothed the passage of the 
penitent robber to Paradise, and pledged himself to 
meet him there that day, he cast his eyes down- 
ward in search of the woman who gave birth to his 
human nature ; for he knew her heart was break- 







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John and the Mother of Jesus 

liY 15. Plockhoust. 

A German painter, born 1825. 



The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


147 


ing, that she coaid not endure the agonies of his fast- 
approaching death. Fixing his eyes on his moth- 
er, as she lay swooning away on the ground, guard- 
ed by John, and accompanied by the devoutest 
women, Jesus said: “Woman, behold thy son!” 
The expression, “Woman,” was the highest form 
of salutation that could be given to a lady of no- 
bility. 

Jesus did not call the attention of his mother to 
his present or coming suffering ; that was farthest 
from his thought ; that would have been the com- 
plete breaking of her bleeding heart. The thing 
Jesus said was: “Woman, behold John by thy 
side ; he shall be to thee a son, a protector,” To 
the well-beloved, faithful John Jesus said : “ John, 
behold thy mother; be a son to her for me.” John 
read out the unspoken meaning of Jesus, and took 
his mother from the cross to his own home, and 
speedily returned to witness the awful closing 
scenes. 

It is a significant fact that Jesus committed the 
care of his mother to his most spiritual, loving kins- 
man, John, instead of to his unbelieving brothers 
and sisters in the flesh. Spiritual kinship is more 


148 


Tke Jerusalem Tragedy. 


reliable than kinship in the flesh. At every oppor- 
tunity in life, and in death, the Savior honored faith, 
and in some way rebuked unbelief. 

When John took the mother of Jesus to his 
home the holy women who accompanied her to the 
cross withdrew quite a distance from it, where they 
are found after the death of Jesus. As soon as 
John returned to Calvary he took his position in- 
side the death circle, and kept his position until 
after the death of Jesus. Of all the followers of 
Christ, John was nearest to him when he died. 


The Darkness and the Silence. 

It is now near 12 o’clock (midday), and the acme 
of Jesus’ sufiering is fast approaching. The Geth- 
semane cup that was carried away by the hand of 
an angel is now returning with greatly increased 
bitterness. But bear in mind that God will stop 
the mockery of his Son while he is passing through 
this fearful ordeal. If men will not mourn over the 
shameful martyrdom of the well-beloved Son of 
God, then heaven and nature must mourn. God 


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The Jerusalem. Tragedy. 


149 


cannot permit the death of the Son of his love to 
seem to be that of a mere man, as the death of an 
impostor, or of a robber. See bow. 

On the brow of Calvary there begins to form a 
dense darkness. It did not begin in the sky, as in 
natural darkness; it was not an eclipse, for it was 
the full moon of the Passover. The darkness 
evolved — evolved — and evolved — hiding the walls 
of Jerusalem, the Temple, Olivet ; swept the Jor- 
dan, the grave of Moses, and rested on the mount- 
ains of Moab and Pisgah ; evolved — ^ evolved — 
evolved westward, and rested in mystery on the 
Great Sea ; evolved — evolved — evolved southward, 
and swept around Mount Sinai of old ; evolved — 
evolved — evolved northward, and interwove itself 
in the nodding cedars of Lebanon, throwing its sa- 
ble curtain on sacred Hermon ; evolved — evolved 
— evolved and evolved — fold after fold — upward — 
upward — upward — higher — higher — higher, and 
blotted the noonday sun from the heavens. Dark- 
ness covered the whole land> and gross darkness 
the people. Mocking Jesus has ceased. 


150 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


Three Hours of Darkness and of Silence.* 

The dying robbers could not see the Christ they 
mocked; they could not see each other; the Roman 
soldiers could not see the bodies they guarded ; the 
centurion could not see where to guide his horse ; 
the holy women could not discern their Lord; he 
could not discern his nearest friend (John); no one 
could distinguish one from another. For three 
hours of dreadful horror the great crowd was riv- 
eted to the earth, and speechless. The light of 
chronology shows that not a word was spoken dur- 
ing all that time. Just here let Father Whittier 
speak : 


A few more hours — a change hath come ; 

The sky is dark, without a cloud ; 

The shouts of joy and wrath are dumb, 
And proud knees unto eartli are bowed. 
A change is on the hill of death ; 

The helmed watchers pant for breath, 
And turn with wild and maniac eyes 
From the dark scene of sacrifice. 


See Gospel of St. Peter; Historical Appendix, letter I, No. 6. 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


151 


Those three hours were long to the centurion, 
long to the soldiers who guarded the dying bodies, 
long to the apostles, long to the holy women, long 
to the mother of Jesus, long to the dying robbers, 
and long indeed to Jesus ; for during that mysteri- 
ous darkness and silence a feeling of God-forsaken- 
ness seized his holy soul. He seemed to feel that 
all his friends, his cause, and his God were lost. 
In this tremendous crisis I see that divine man 
throw the arm of his human nature around this 
world of sinful men, and press it close to his own 
dear, bleeding, dying heart ; then throw the arm of 
his divine nature around the neck of God ; then 
with a piteous shriek in his vernacular tongue, that 
might awake the sleeping dead, he breads the aw- 
ful silence with the awful words, ^‘Elohee^ elohee, 
lammaivh, sehakthane ’’ which means. My God, my 
God, why hast thou forsaken me ? 

The horror, the trembling, the mourning, the 
screaming, the praying, and the utter confusion 
caused by this shriek of God-forsakenness can bet- 
ter be imagined than spread out in feeble words. 
The darkness flees away at the mighty shriek, and 
every eye is riveted on Christ, the holy. 


152 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


What forsook Jesus ? Something forsook him. 
He was not God-forsaken, for no one is who has 
not forsaken God. Jesus had not foreseen the full- 
ness of the bitterness of the tragedy he was to pass 
through. He had not anticipated those dreadful 
hours of darkness that hid the face of every earth- 
ly friend, nor the feeling of God-forsakenness that 
enveloped his very soul. All this came without 
casting its shadow before it. Hence the sublime 
grandeur of his trust when he believed with all his 
heart that God was really forsaking him. Even 
then, marvelous trust! even then, marvelous faith ! 
even then, God is still his God, and he would trust in 
him though he should forsake him in that dread- 
ful, awful hour. 

What forsook Jesus? Something forsook him, 
for it would be sacrilegious to even think that he 
would make a play on words in such a supremely 
solemn moment. What forsook Jesus ? I answer, 
that divine power that came on him (after his bap- 
tism), by which he performed miracles and foretold 
events. This power forsook him, was withdrawn. 
Divinity could not suffer then, nor now. If the 
soul of Jesus had not had an antemundane life with 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


153 


God, it would have sunk into despair in this tre- 
mendous crisis. W aiving all theories of atonement, 
I do admit that thesinsof the Jewish race weighed 
heavier on the heart of Jesus than all his other 
pain. 


The Thirst of Jesus. 

The trials through which Jesus passed — the 
scourging, the crowning with thorns, the wounds 
in his hands, the wounds in his feet — produced 
great heat and dryness, so that it was difficult for 
him to articulate the words, ‘‘I thirst.” One of 
the Roman soldiers who was guarding Jesus took 
a stalk of hyssop about two feet long, placed a 
sponge on the end, dipped the sponge in a vessel of 
vinegar, and put it to the Savior’s mouth. Some 
of the half-way believing Jews cried out: “Stop ! 
He called for Elijah ; he may descend any moment 
to take Jesus from the cross, and call fire from 
heaven on all his enemies.” The heathen soldier 
knew nothing of Elijah, and so proceeded to slake 
the Savior’s burning thirst. As soon as he had 
moistened his tongue and throat, he gathered up his 


154 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


dying strength, and in aloud, triumphant voice ex- 
claimed, “ It is finished ! My heart is ruptured, my 
work is done, my sufiering ended.’’ His arms had 
been elevated so long that the blood that should have 
circulated in them fiowed to his heart. His mental 
agony was so great that when the feeling of spiritual 
victory came his great efiort to speak caused rup- 
ture * of the heart, and he sank at once. The rupture 
of the heart was the cause of the loud exclamation. 
It was the only loud cry he made on the cross. It 
was notice of his sudden departure. 

The Son of God Is Dying. 

Be still, O earth ; hush, ye heavens ; 

Fold your wings, ye angelic hosts. 

And lean across the golden gate ; 

The Son of God is dying now. 

Be still, be still ; my heart, be still ; 

I hear the whirring of wings ; 

It is a convoy of tangels. 

Around the Savior’s cross. 

Angels announced his birth ; 

Thy cannot be absent at his death. 

* See Appendix G. A strong, healthy man would not die of 
crucifixion alone short of three or four days. 



The Dead Christ. 

Hy Michael Angelo. 

Horn in Tuscany, Italy, 1474. Died in Rome in 1.563. Afre 89. The original 
paintin*^ is in Viterbo. 



The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


155 


Did he speak? Listen. “ Father, into thy 

hands I commend my spirit.’’ He bowed his 
head on his breast, and gave up his spirit. He is 
dead. 

I see that bright angelic choir wafting the soul 
of the divine Christ through the trackless blue — 
passing world after world, world after world — and 
as they near the Hew Jerusalem I hear them cry : 
“ Lift up your heads, 0 ye gates ; and be ye lifted 
up, ye everlasting doors ; and the King of glory 
shall come in.” From the heaven side I hear the 
question asked : ‘‘ Who is this King of glory ? ” 
The angels answer : “ The Lord, strong and mighty ; 
the Lord, mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, 0 
ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors ; 
and the King of glory shall come in.” Once more 
I hear the question asked : ‘‘ Who is this King of 
glory ? ” The answer is : “ The Lord of hosts, he 
is the King of glory.” The golden gate flies open 
wide ; the angels poise their wings, bow their heads, 
and stand thick on either side the golden street 
that leads to the very throne of God; and as Jesus 
is received back to his Father’s bosom, ten thou- 
sand times ten thousand and thousands of thou- 


156 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


sands of angels cried : ‘‘ Worthy is the Lamb that 
was slain — worthy — worthy — worthy.” 

‘‘ Socrates died like a philosopher, but Jesus the 
Christ — died — like — a — God.” 


The Temple and Golgotha Shaken.* 

God will make the murderers of his Son feel the 
turpitude of their crime, and that he was a divine 
man. He touched the temple veil, sixty by thirty 
feet, and it was rent from the top downward to the 
very bottom, showing that it w^as done by no human 
hand, but by power divine. The priests who were 
officiating in the holy place, and the worshipers (by 
the rending of the veil), gazed on the ark of the cov- 
enant in the most holy place — a place seen and 
trodden only by the high priest. The Temple 
quivered from top to bottom. 

God touched Golgotha, and it shook from center 
to circumference; the rocks rent; the tombs cut 
in the rocks were cracked to pieces, with their doors 

^ See Gospel of St. Peter; Historical Appendix, letter I, Nos. 
7 and 8. 


Herod’s Temple 







The Jerusaleyyi Tragedy. 


157 


thrown open wide ; the bones of some of the saints 
were shaken together : the crosses tottered in their 
sockets ; the soldiers who guarded their victims 
were stricken with awe ; the people staggered one 
against another; the centurion’s horse bowed his 
knees at the shock; indeed, I see the centurion 
near Jesus, leaning backward on his frightened 
steed, with his hand over his eyes, gazing with 
amazement at the body of Jesus swaying to and fro ; 
and as he gazed I hear him say, with a tremor in 
his voice, “ Truly this man was the Son of God.” 
The soldiers who were guarding the dying robbers 
confessed the same. The strongest knees have 
bowed, the stoutest hearts confessed that Jesus is 
the Christ, the Son of the living God. 


The Close of the Tragedy. 

It is now nearly four o'clock p. m., on Friday, the 
sunset of which commenced the Jewish Sabbath, a 
high day — the sacred Sabbath of the Passover. Ac- 
cording to Jewish law, if a man had been stoned to 
death, and his body hanged on a tree, the body 


158 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


must be taken down and buried before sundown. 
(Deut. xxi. 23.) The Jews co-uld not endure the 
sight of three dead bodies hanging on the crosses 
in sight of the city, on their high day — their Sab- 
bath. With custom and law in their favor, they 
go to Pilate and secure from him an order to have 
the legs of the crucified broken to hasten their 
death ; for they had only about two hours in which 
to remove and bury them. 

When the centurion received the order to break 
the legs of the crucified, his heart revolted against 
the command, for he believed Jesus to be the divine 
Son of God. Seeing no way to shift the command, 
he rode up to the impenitent robber, and ordered 
the soldiers who guarded him to break his legs. 
Two licks with a heavy hammer by a soldier, and 
both limbs are shattered to pieces. Riding up to 
the cross of the penitent robber, the centurion or- 
ders the guards to break his legs. It is done. Me- 
thinks I hear that penitent robber pray once more, 
‘‘ Jesus, remember — ”. Then his soul left the body; 
he did not have time to say me,*’ unless he said 
it on the way. On angels’ wings that precious, 
spotless soul is borne aloft to the golden gate ot 


The Jerusaleyn Tragedy, 


159 


the city of God, and breathes the promise of Christ 
into the ear of the warden ot the gate. It was the 
password of that hour, the passport to his bliss 
where he embraced his Lord. This penitent robber 
is the first, and probably brightest, star in the Sav- 
ior’s crown. He was certainly the first soul saved 
after the Savior’s death ; surely he was nearer hell 
than any other soul Jesus had saved. All this, 
taken in connection with Jesus’ own language con- 
cerning the conversion of a sinner, make it certain 
that an angelic jubilee was held, in which a count- 
less host took part. If redeemed souls ever shout, 
the living soul of the penitent robber did. This 
divine demonstration above must have been very 
comforting to Jesus while the crowning act of 
heathen cruelty is being enacted on Calvary. 


The Heart of Jesus Pierced. 

Having secured the death of the robbers, the 
centurion approaches with great fear the central 
cross, on which the body of Jesus hung. Speaking 
to him, he did not answer; touching him, he did 


160 


The Jerusalem Tragedy, 


not move. It was decided that he was dead. A 
heathen soldier, with a heart so hard that no mir- 
acle of God could make him feel, put on the top- 
stone of human cruelty by bracing himself and say- 
ing, “ I will thrust my spear into his very heart ; 
then we will know if he is dead.” It was no sooner 
said than done. The sword is drawn, the powerful 
thrust is made, his heart was pierced to the center; 
for from the great gash flowed forth both blood and 
water, so profusely that it was sure his heart was 
empty. Then the soldiers said : “ It is certain that 
he is dead.” 


Sublime Summary. 

Such a combination of conviction, perform- 
ance, vocation, and destiny had never occurred. In 
his unfathomable profundity the Man of idealism 
stands on the height of his Messiahship, without a 
parallel in word and deed; and mankind loves him 
who thus died for it, and thanks Pilate that, in- 
stead of contemptuously acquitting Jesus, .or pro- 
curing for him a private death within the walls of 
Cesarea, he permitted him to die publicly in the 



Piercing Jesus’ Side. 

Uy 1’eteh Pai l Ribens. 

(See note at picture facinjr pa”:e 160.) This ifraphic picture reju-eseuts tlie limbs 
of the robbers broken: a Avoniau’s i)rot<“st auainst (he Roman soldier who is in the act 
of piercing .lesns" side. 





The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


161 


presence of the people, apparently so dishonorably, 
hut in reality so grandly. . . . 

“Verily nowhere in the world’s history does the 
enigma of providence stand before us in such gi- 
gantic proportions as in the divine permission of 
the cruel death of the man at whose hands God re- 
ceived back his world, his human race.” 


The Farewell View of Calvary. 

This is the view^ John gives to me of his last look 
at Calvary : “ I was standing close by the Savior 
when the Roman soldier pierced his side. Soon 
after this the centurion rode around the brow of 
Calvary, announcing in a loud hut tremulous voice, 
‘All these men are now dead ; the crowd will now 
disperse. All these men are now dead; the crowd 
will now disperse.’ A few moments later the peo- 
ple w^ere leaving in every direction, some smiting 
their breasts, howdng and weeping as they went ; 
but the great throng returned to Jerusalem. I 
was among the last to leave the Savior’s side, and 
would have remained until his burial, had not the 
11 


162 


The Jerusalem Tragedy. 


Holy Spirit said, ‘ Go now, and care for Jesus’ 
mother.’ I went at once, and found her seemingly 
near death’s door. As I was descending the mount, 
I turned and took the farewell view of Calvary. 
The centurion was still on his horse ; four soldiers 
were still guarding each of the dead bodies ; here 
and there was a silent watcher ; still further olF a 
little group of holy women, and some of Jesus’ ac- 
quaintance. Just here the scene dropped out of 
sight. It was the last.” 

Indeed, indeed, my brother John, I thank thee 
for this view ; but, after all, are we not saved more 
by the Savior’s spotless life than by his shameful 
death ? 


APPENDIX. 


A 

The Inscription Board. 

There was among the Eomans a custom, which we borrowed 
from their jurisprudence, and which is still followed, of placing 
over the head of a condemned criminal a writing containing an 
extract from his sentence, in order that the public might know 
for what crime he was condemned. This was the reason why 
Pilate put on the cross a label, on which he had written these 
words, ^^Rex Judxorum" (Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews), 
which has since been denoted by the initials J. N. R. I. . . . 
This inscription was first in Latin, which was the legal language 
of the Roman judge; and it was repeated in Hebrew and in 
Greek. (Dr. Dupin.) 


B 

The Cross a Signature. 

In the sixth century it was a custom to put three (t 1 1) 
crosses near the signature of important documents, these hav- 


164 


Appendix. 


ing the value of an oath on the part of the signer. Priests 
never failed to add it to their signatures, and bishops placed it 
before their signatures, as a sign of the dignity of their office. 
The cross was early adopted as the ground plan for churches. 


C 

Time in Jerusalem and Time in Indiana. 

The longitude of Jerusalem, taken at the dome of the Holy 
Sepulcher Church, is 35° 13^ 25^^ east of Greenwich. Central 
time is reckoned from the 90th meridian west of Greenwich. 
This gives a difference of 125° 13^ 25^^ in longitude, or a differ- 
ence of 8 hours, 20 minutes, 5f seconds in time. 

Williamsport is in that longitude. Hence the difference in 
the longitude of Jerusalem and Williamsport is 122° 31^ 25^^. 
This gives a difference of 8 hours, 10 minutes, and 5f seconds. 

Therefore, when it is 12 o’clock (noon) in Jerusalem, it is 39 
minutes, 541 seconds past 3 o’clock a. m., central time ; or 49 
minutes, 541 seconds past 3 o’clock a. m., sun time. (Professor 
Hanson, Superintendent of Public Schools, Williamsport, Ind.) 


D 

Augustus Caius Julius C.esar Octa van anus. 

Augustus Csesar was born B. C. 63. He was the son of Caius 
Octavius Caesar. Julius Caesar was his great uncle. Judea be- 
came a Roman province under Augustus, who appointed Copo- 


A'pjpendix, 


165 


nius the first governor of that land. Augustus died A. D. 14, 
immediately after taking the Roman census the third time. 

The Roman magistrates very frequently were adored as pro- 
vincial deities. Augustus permitted, indeed, some of the pro- 
vincial cities to erect temples to his honor, on condition that 
they should associate the worship of Rome with that of the 
sovereign, and tolerated private superstitution, of which he 
might be the object. . . . 

A regular custom was introduced, that on the decease of every 
emperor who had neither lived nor died like a tyrant, the Sen- 
ate by a solemn decree should place him among the number of 
the gods. ... 

Even the characters of Tiberius Csesar, and Augustus Caesar, 
were far superior to those of the popular gods. Augustus was 
severely blamed for having permitted himself to be worshiped 
in the provinces. (Gibbon’s Rome.) 

E 

The True Site of Calvary. 

The true site must meet all the conditions of the history. 
These are six, namely: 1. It was without the then existing 
walls of Jerusalem (Matt, xxvii. 31,32; xxviii. 11; Hebrews 
xiii. 12). 2. It was near the city (John xix. 20). 3. It was 
popularly known as “ The Skull” (Matt, xxvii. 33; Mark xv. 
22; Luke xxiii. 33; John xix. 27). 4. It was near a gate to a 
leading thoroughfare (Matt, xxvii. 39 ; Mark xv. 29 ; Luke 
xxiii. 26). 5. It was a conspicuous spot (Matt, xxvii. 55 ; Mark 


166 


Appendix. 


XV. 40 ; Luke xxiii. 49). 6. It was near sepulchers and gardens 
(John xix. 38-42). 

Not one of these propositions can be affirmed of the spot on 
which the Church of the Holy Sepulcher stands, which is a low 
place inside the old w^alls, off the thoroughfares, and where no 
tombs would be allowed. 

All these six particulars meet in an elevation called the Grotto 
of Jeremiah, a short distance north of the Damascus Gate. It 
is outside the city ; it is near ; it is conspicuously shaped like 
a skull, and from almost every point of view reminds the be- 
holders of a skull. ... It can be seen from almost every 
elevation about Jerusalem, and looks down on hills that look 
down on the modern Church of the Sepulcher. (Quoted by 
Dr. Deems from Dr. Porter’s Handbook.) 

The word “ Calvary” occurs only once in the Gospels (Luke 
xxiii. 33). The Revised Version reads: “When they came 
unto the place which is called. The Skull.” The Hebrew word 
Golgotha, the Greek word Kranion, and the Latin word Calva- 
ria, all mean “ a skull ’’—skull shaped. 

F 

Tiberius Claudius Nero C^sar. 

Born in Rome B. C. 42. Died A. D. 37. He became Emperor 
of Rome in A. D. 14, on the death of Augustus C^sar, his pred- 
ecessor. Tiberius was once a beautiful man, but dissipation 
caused blotches on his face, and his body was bent nearly doub- 
le. He is said to have been despotic, cruel, and vindictive in 


Appendix. 


167 


disposition. He was reticent, and concealed his feelings, de- 
sires, and passions. 

Only once did he ever counsel with his officers. His intellect 
was great, clear, cold, and very penetrating. Few persons ever 
possessed such a clear mental vision. He was probably never 
deceived about the weakness of others, or about his own. It is a 
question whether he ever loved or was loved by a single person. 

His mind moved slowly, but when he reached a conclusion 
he could wait patiently for years to accomplish his purpose, 
and in the end always succeeded. Tiberius reigned twenty- 
three years— from A. D. 14 to A. D. 37— covering the entire 
priesthood of Caiaphas, the procuratorship of Pilate, and the 
entire ministry of the Baptist and of his Christ. 

“ So when Tiberius had at this time appointed Caius Caesar to 
be his successor, he outlived but a few^ days, and then died, after 
he had held the reins of government twenty-two years, five 
months, and three days: now Caius was the fourth emperor.” 
(Josephus, Vol. H., p. 59, If 10.) 

G 

The Physical Cause of Jesus’ Death. 

“ The immediate cause is a sudden and violent contraction of 
one of the ventricles— usually the left— on the column of blood 
thrown into it by a similar contraction of the corresponding 
auricle. Prevented from returning backwards by the interven- 
ing valve, and not finding a sufficient outlet forwards in the 
connected artery, the blood reacts against the ventricle itself, 


168 


A'p'pendix. 


which is consequently torn open at the point of greatest disten- 
sion or least resistance, by the influence of its own reflected 
force. A quantity of blood is hereby discharged into the peri- 
cardium (heart sack), and, having no means of escape from that 
capsule, stops the circulation, by compressing the heart from 
without, and induces almost instantaneous death. 

“ In young and vigorous subjects the blood thus collected in 
the pericardium soon divides into its constituent parts, namely, 
a pale, watery liquid, called serum, and a soft, clotted substance, 
of a deep red color, termed crassamentum ; but, except under 
similar circumstances of extravasation, this distinct separation 
of the blood is seldom witnessed in the dead body. When, 
however, the action of the ventricle is less violent, instead of 
bursting under the continued injection from the auricle, it 
merely dilates ; but, as in consequence of this overdistension 
its power of contraction is speedily destroyed, death takes place 
with equal certainty, although perhaps with less rapidity, and 
in this case (as well as in the former one) the blood remaining 
within the heart has been divided into serum and crassamen- 
tum.” (Dr. Stroud.) 

Touching the physical cause of Jesus’ death, Rev. Dr. Hough- 
ton says : “ When the left side is freely pierced after death by a 
large knife, comparable in size with a Roman spear, three dis- 
tinct cases may be noted : 

“ 1. No flow of any kind follows^ this wound, except a slight 
trickling of blood. 

“2. A copious flow of blood only follows the wound. 

“ 3. A flow of water only, succeeded by a few drops of blood, 
follows the wound. 


Appendix, 


169 


“ That rupture of the heart was the cause of the death of 
Christ I firmly believe, but at the same time I do not think 
that mere rupture of the heart, without crucifixion, can account 
for the flow of blood, as well as water. . . . 

“ In the case of the Divine Kedeemer, the flow of blood caused 
by crucifixion was followed by the flow of water, due to the 
rupture of the substance of the heart, and the effusion, some 
time before death, of a large quantity of blood into the cavity 
of the pericardium (heart sack). 

“ When it was not convenient for the soldiers to remain for 
three or four days on the watch beside the cross to prevent the 
interference of their friends ; or when, as in the case of Jewish 
criminals (Deut. xxi. 22, 23), it was necessary to terminate their 
sufferings before sunset, death was hastened by breaking the 
bones of the legs, and arms near the ankles and wrists, by 
means of an iron mallet.” 


H 

The Passion Play. 

This is a dramatic representation every ten years of the trials 
and crucifixion of Christ by the people of Ober-Ammergau. 
It is a small town in Upper Bavaria, about seventy-five miles 
southwest of Munich, in the valley of the Amner, a swift-run- 
ning, limpid stream, fed by the Alpine snows. In 1880 the 
town contained 1,349 souls. 

“The Ober-Ammergau Passion Play” is the sole survivor 
of those mystic plays, or religious dramas, which were in full 


170 


A^fendix. 


vogue during the Middle Ages in Germany, France, Italy, 
Spain, and England. These plays merit attention, consid- 
ered as evidences of historical culture, and as having been the 
germs of our dramatic art ; and also for the insight they afford 
of the religious life and feeling of Mediaeval Europe. 

They were known under the titles of “ Mysteries,” or “ Miia- 
cle Plays,” and were dramas founded on the historical parts of 
the Old and New Testaments, or on legends connected with the 
lives of the saints. At first they were performed within the 
churches, and at a later date in the churchyards, or in the im- 
mediate vicinity of churches or monasteries, the stage machin- 
ery and costumes being of the most primitive character. The 
parts were sustained by the clergy, the lay brothers, and the 
pupils of the schools ; and in the earliest representations the 
Latin language was spoken, but in time the language of the 
country was adopted, that the subjects might be better under- 
stood by the unlearned peasantry. The earliest authentic ac- 
counts of these religious dramas relate performances in the 
eleventh century. . . . In the twelfth century all the feasts 
of the ecclesiastical year w'ere embellished and illustrated by 
them in vast numbers of places. 

. . . In England their popularity was checked by the rise 

of the secular drama, the novelty of which, and the great range 
of subjects that it made available, appealing powerfully to the 
popular taste ; yet they continued to be occasionally performed 
as late as the time of Charles I. (1600-1649), and it is well known 
that the first sketch of “ Milton’s Paradise Lost ” was a sacred 
drama, wherein the opening speech was, Satan’s address to the 
Sun. On the continent of Europe they gradually ceased to be 


Appendix. 


171 


seen in the large centers of population, but were still cherished 
in the remote villages and hamlets, so that down to the middle 
of the eighteenth century in many an Alpine valley the Passion 
Play, or other representation of some biblical episode, continued 
to be annually performed by the peasantry on the festival days 
of the church. 

Various circumstances, however, contributed to lessen their 
observance. The wars which raged all over Europe called 
many of the actors to arms, and turned the minds of all to the 
exciting events transpiring around them. Abuses crept in, 
compelling the civil powers to prohibit the performances in 
many places, and to issue strict regulations as to their conduct, 
in the few localities in which they were still allowed. Bishops 
of the church pronounced against them, and thus it came to 
pass that in the first year of the present century all had ceased 
—even that of Ober-Ammergau, which had always held the 
highest rank. 

The deep-seated attachment of the people to the time-honored 
Passion Play led to many efforts for its reproduction, as the re- 
sult of which permission was given in 1811 for its revival at 
Ober-Ammergau, where from that period it has been performed 
at intervals of ten years. . . . Each repetition of the Passion 
Play has brought an increased number of visitors from all parts 
of the civilized world. In 1880 the attendance numbered 
120,000 persons, and the receipts exceeded $80,000 in United 
States currency ; and these fall far behind the figures of the 
representation of 1890. 

The “Thirty Years’ War,” as the series of wars which con- 
vulsed Europe from 1018 to 1648, brought trouble and sorrow. 


172 


Appendix. 


even to this sequestered spot. So many of the able-bodied men 
were forced into the armies that it was impossible to continue 
the performance of the Passion Play ; and accompanying the 
war came a deadly plague, which devastated the country far 
and wide. In 1633, while the plague was at its height, the in- 
habitants of Ober-Ammergau made a vow to the Almighty that 
if it were stayed they would celebrate their deliverance by rep- 
resentations of the passion of Christ. The local records relate 
that the plague immediately ceased, and from that time to the 
present, with the exceptions previously referred to, every tenth 
year has brought a repetition of the sacred drama. 

For the performauce of 1890 an open air theater, accommo- 
dating 4,000 people, was prepared in an extended plain, near 
the village. . . . Extending from side to side of the audito- 

rium (136 feet), was an elevated platform, 20 feet wide, upon 
which the chorus and the large processional groups moved. At 
the rear of it, in the center, was the stage proper— a substantial 
roofed structure— in which the tableau of “The Last Supper,” 
and such other scenes as required an enclosed place for their 
representation, were shown. 

The representations required a working force of between 600 
and 700j persons, or about one-half the total population of the 
village. Over 500 new costumes were prepared, the details of 
which, colors, were determined after laborious investigations of 
the best authorities, and careful study of the pictures of Albert 
Durer and others of the old masters. “ The Last Supper ” was 
patterned after Da Vinci’s great work. (See picture facing Sec- 
tion One.) 

Whitmonday, May 26, was the date of the first performance 


Ajypendix. 


173 


of 1890, and from that date until the close of September, it was 
repeated on every Sunday, as well as on one or more of the in- 
tervening days of each week, making in all about twenty -five 
occasions, the immense auditorium being crowded at each rep- 
resentation. At 8 o’clock A. M. the boom of cannon from an ad- 
jacent hill was the signal for the commencement of the play, 
which continued from that hour until 5 p. m., with an intermis- 
sion of about an hour and a half at noon. 

The people of Ober-Ammergau regard the Passion Play as a 
solemn act of religious worship, and the performances are char- 
acterized by the greatest reverence. 

An Ober-Ammergau correspondent says: “What these vil- 
lage artists produce before us is as little playing as the act of 
priest before the altar. In better words, it is exquisite acting. 
The Ober-Ammergau children are born into the Passion Play, 
and mature under the benign infiuence of its atmosphere. 
Their dearest tradition is to keep, at the appointed intervals, 
the solemn vow registered by their forefathers of two and a half 
centuries ago, and their highest ambition is to be chosen one 
day, in their turn, to represent the old biblical characters. He 
who earns the high fortune to be intrusted with the part of 
Christ is more than an object of envy to his colleagues and the 
admiration of his audiences. He enjoys in his own region and 
in his own village a respect nearly amounting to veneration, 
and springing less from his own merits— which must be great to 
allow him the position— than from the very character he delin- 
eates. The principal men are so identified with their parts in 
the popular thought that their names in the drama remain at- 
tached to them in private life, and we hear among their neigh- 


174 


A;pi>eyidix. 


bors only of ‘Christus’ and ‘Judas,’ or, at most, of ‘Christus- 
Mayer ’ and ‘Judas-Lechner ’ — appellations applied by no means 
in an irreverent spirit. 

“ In many families one or the other role has been transferred 
from father to son through several generations, as is the case 
with ‘Judas-Lechner,’ ‘ Caiaphas-Lang ’ (the burgomaster of 
the village), and the Rutz family, the last of whom have been 
uninterruptedly represented in the Sanhedrin, or High Coun- 
cil, in every performance since the initiation of the play, in 
1634.” 


The Opening Drama. 

“The drama proper covers that period in Christ’s history 
from his entry into Jerusalem to his death and resurrection. The 
opening scene is one of the most effective. Hundreds of figures 
waving palm branches, and singing ‘All hail to the Son of Da- 
vid ! ’ crowd the stage. Joseph Mayer again represents Christ, 
and enters seated sideways upon an ass, followed by the apostles. 
He drives the money-lenders from the temple. The following 
acts represent the incidents of Christ’s life, in the order of the 
gospel story. By noon they had reached the Agony in the 
Garden of Gethsemane, and resuming, after luncheon (for the 
actors do not proceed right through, as in the old days), at half- 
past 1, the final scene is not reached until after 6 o’clock.” 

The Bargain with Judas. 

“ In the second act the high priests take counsel with the 
money-lenders, and form a plan for the destruction of Jesus. 


Appendix. 


175 


They accomplish their end by the aid of Judas, whose treach- 
ery is bought with their money. Christ’s death is, therefore, 
shown as the result of the working of human passions, rather 
than as the fulfillment of the Divine will. With this end in 
view, the characters of Caiaphas and Judas are considerably 
embellished. The former is seen as a cruel member of a jeal- 
ous priesthood, and the latter as a type of a calculating, world- 
ly fellow, whose thought is only for self. 

“ The scene when Judas takes the money is the more highly 
dramatic in the Divine Tragedy. He stands in the midst of an 
assemblage of priests, to receive the price of blood, and to fix 
the hour, day, and sign of Christ’s betrayal. The thirty 
pieces of silver are counted out, and Judas rings them upon the 
table to see if they are good coin. The chorus then reappears, 
and sings this homily in verse : 


Sinners, you shudder at the crime 
Which traitor Judas planned, 

But mark his sin, and think a while 
Where you may also stand. 

Ah, while you blame the Jews of old. 
Beware lest you the Christ have sold.’ 


“The interpretation of this character by the Bavarian peas- 
ants is by no means the usually accepted one. Judas is not 
the mean, sordid wretch we have been taught to believe, but 
has a naturally fine though impulsive disposition, warped and 
ruined by the cursed love of money. 

“His repentance is swift, and his remorse terrible, as he 


176 


Appendix, 


rushes back into the presence of the priests, to fling down the 
bag of silver with great violence before them, exclaiming ; 

“ ‘ Where can I go to hide my fearful shame ? 

How rid my conscience of its dreadful guilt ? 

No forest fastness is there deep enough ! 

No mountain cavern dark enough I Oh, earth, 

Open wide thy jaws and swallow me ! 1 can 
No longer hero remain. 

“‘Oh, my dear Master I 
Him, best of all men, have I basely sold. 

Giving him up to treatment vile and rude ; 

Yea, perhaps to martyrdom and death— I, 

Detestable betrayer I 

Oh, were the Master here ! Oh, could I see 
His face once more I I’d cast me at his feet. 

And cling to him— my only saving hope.’ 


“There is an awdul realism in the suicide of Judas, and the 
curtain drops none too quickly over the awdul scene.” 


Origin of the Play — That of 1890. 

“ There is still in existence the original manuscript of the 
play, as it was performed in 1662, in accordance with the vows 
taken by the villagers ; but the fame of these performances only 
began to spread throughout the world in 1860, when the first 
printed report in English appeared in London. 

“ For this year everything is on a larger and grander scale 


Appendix, 


177 


than ever before. The number of participants in the play is 
760, or just about one-half of the total population of the village 
— men, women, and children. In all a sum of S75,000 has been 
expended in preparation. In all 515 new and beautiful cos- 
tumes have been made for the play, costing altogether $60,000. 

“ Returning from his trip to Ober-Ammergau, Archdeacon 
' Farrar sums up his impressions of the ‘ Passion jPlay.’ No un- 
biased judgment will deny, in his opinion, that its influence 
upon the peasants has been good. He says it has deepened the 
religious character of ‘these now prosperous peasants,’ and 
been to them the very poetry of their lives. But Archdeacon 
Farrar also says that the gravest and the wisest of the dwellers 
in this little village in the Bavarian Alps feel anxious misgiv- 
ings about the effects of the great periodical influx of alien ele- 
ments, and not a few have resolved that this decade shall wit- 
ness the last ‘ Passion Play.’ ” 

The foregoing article has been furnished as a matter of infor- 
mation, and without criticism or approval. Its unehronolog- 
ical nature is not the fault of the author. Cyclopedias do not 
fully agree with this narrative as to the origin of the Passion 
Play. 

I 

The Gospel of St. Peter — The Akhmim Fragment of the 
Apocryphal Gospel of St. Peter. 

“ During the winter of 1886 the French Archaeological Mis- 
sion discovered a little book in one of the graves of Akhmim 
(Christian Panopolis), on the east bank of the River Nile. The 
12 


178 


Appendix. 


book measures 6x4^ inches, and contains 33 leaves of parch- 
ment, stitched together into covers of pasteboard, roughly cased 
in leather. 

“ The book was found to contain fragments of the lost Petrine 
Gospel and Apocalypse, and of the Greek version of the Book, 
of Enoch. On the inside of the further cover was pasted a single 
leaf of the Greek Acts of St. Julian. The Petrine writings oc- 
cupy the first nine leaves.” 


Contents of the Akhmim Fragment. 

It covers the Tragedy of Christ, from the washing of Pilate’s 
hands until the resurrection of Christ. The narrative is longer 
than either of the Canonical Gospels touching the same period. 


New Matter Furnished by the AkhmIm Fragment. 

1. “ Herod and the Jewish judges of the Lord abstain from 
washing their hands, after Pilate’s example.” 

2. “ The order of the crucifixion is given by Herod.” 

3. Joseph, who is a friend of Pilate, seeks permission to 
bury the body, and is referred by Pilate to Herod. Herod re- 
plies that the body would in any case be buried before sunset, 
in accordance with Jewish law.” 

4. “ Herod then delivers the Lord to the people, who push 
him before them, exclaiming, ‘ Let us hail the Son of God.’ 
They set him on a seat of judgment, saying, ‘ Judge righteous- 
ly, thou King of Israel.’ ” 


Appendix, 


179 


5. “At the moment of crucifixion he is silent, as free from 
pain.” 

6. Now it was midday, and darkness overspread all Judea ; 
and they were troubled and distressed lest the sun had set, in- 
asmuch as he was yet alive. It is written for them that the sun 
set not on one that hath died by violence. . . . And many 
went about with lamps, supposing that is was night, and some 
fell. And the liOrd cried aloud, saying, ‘ My power, my power, 
thou hast forsaken me.’ And, having said this, he was taken 
up.’» 

7. “And then they drew the nails from the hands of the 
Lord, and laid him upon the earth ; and the whole earth was 
shaken, and great fear came upon them. Then the sun shone 
out, and it was found to be the ninth hour.” 

8. “ The people beat their breasts, exclaiming, '‘He was right- 
eous ! ’ Their leaders cry, ‘ Woe to our sins! ’ The disciples, sus- 
pected of designs upon the Temple, seek a place of concealment. 
Meanwhile they keep up their fast until the Sabbath.” 


INDEX. 


A PAGE 

Acquittal, the first 86 

Agony, prayers in the 11 

An-ach-ro-nism, an 33 

Angelo Michael, poetry of 144 

Annas, the tragedy before , 23 

Anointing, necessity of 124 

Anti pas Herod, biography of 89 

Antipas Herod, birthday of 90 

Antipas Herod, beheads the Baptist. 92 

Antipas Herod, threatens Christ 94 

Antipas Herod, tragedy before 94 

Arrest, that of Christ 13 

B 

Baptist J ohn, beheading of 92 

Barabbas, preferred to Jesus 100 

Believed, too much to be 144 

Blasphemy, meaning of 4(5 

Blasphemy, Greenleaf on 4(i 

( 180 ) 


Indtx. 181 

Blasphemy, Old Testament on 47 

Blasphemy, committed by Moses 48 

Blasphemy, the charge of 34 


C 

Caesar Augustus, biography of. Appendix D 164 

Caesar Augustus, how long Emperor 67 

Caesar Augustus, death of 67 

Caesar Augustus, worship of. Appendix I) 165 

Caesar Tiberius, biography of. Appendix F 166 

Caesar Tiberius, becomes Emperor 68 

Caesar Tiberius, paying tribute to 80 

Caesar Tiberius, not a friend to 112 

Caesar Tiberius, death of 68 

Caesar Caius, succeeds Tiberius, Appendix F 167 

Caiaphas, biography of 31 

Caiaphas, tragedy before 29 

Caiaphas, the bloodiest man 31 

Caiaphas, the clique of 31 

Caiaphas, Dupin on 61 

Caiaphas, Salvador on 78 

Caiaphas, his new charge 88 

Caiaphas, palace of 25 

Calvary, meaning of the word 166 

Calvary, true site of 165 

Calvary, the procession to 126 

Calvary, farewell view' of 161 

Christ, description of 120 


182 


Index. 


Christ, the Unknown Life of 121 

Cohort, meaning of 71, 115 

Conspiracy, Jesas charged with 80 

Costume, that of Jesus 138 

Council, the Roman 70, 71 

Cross, Jesus did not carry 126 

Crosses, position of 138 

Crosses, conversation on 142 

Cross, signature of. Appendix B 163 

Cross, Simon honored by 130 

Crucifixion, beginning of ? . . . 132 

Crucifixion, origin of 73, 137 

D 

Darkness, evolution of 148 

Death-circle 132 

Death of Jesus, cause of 154, 167 

Death-council, the 31 

Death-sentence, that of Jesus 103 

Drama, the opening one 174 

Dupin, Dr., on Roman law 69, 72 

Dying, the Son of God is 154 

E 

Elohee, Elohee 151 

Emperors, worshiped by men 165 


Index. 


183 


F 

Farrar on the Passion Play 177 

Father, forgive them 135 

Forsaken, was Jesus 152 

G 

Gabbatha, meaning of 75 

Garden, the tragedy in 11-13 

Garments, those of Jesus 138 

Gentleman, Jesus was a 8 

Golgotha, meaning of the word 166 

Golgotha, shaking of 156 

Golgotha, time there and in Indiana 164 

Gospel, that of Peter I77 

Government, the Roman 67 

Greatness, that of Jesus 37 

Greenleaf quoted 46, 81 

H 

Hall, the Judgment 75 

Houghton, Rev. Dr., on Jesus’ death 168 

Heart of Jesus pierced 159 

Herod the Great, palace of 74 

Herod, the tragedy before 89 

Holland, J. G., on God in Christ 146 

Holy One, anointing from 124 


184 


Index. 


Hour, the 160th 123 

Hours, the three dreadful ones 150 

I 

Ingersoll, his love for Christ 146 

Inscription, Dupin on. Appendix A 163 

Inscription board 136, 163 

Inspiration, Jesus seized by 131 

“ It is a great sin ” 92 

J 

JerusalenQ, time in 164 

Jesus, ethics of 9 

Jesus, manhood of 16 

Jesus, what shall I do with 101 

Jesus blesses his mother 146 

Jesus, death of described 154 

Jews, subjects of Rome 67, 71 

Judas, defense of (poetry) 16 

Judas, his faith in Christ 17 

Judas, honesty of 18 

Judas, object of in the betrayal 19 

Judas, fainting of 21 

Judas, his confession 53 

Judas, hanging on a tree 54 

Judas, Roman lawyer on 55 

Judas, John’s view of 56 


Index, 


185 


Judas, committed no crime 58 

Judas, his faith in Christ 59 

Judas, Passion Play on 174 

Judas, Adam Clarke on 62 

Judas, Longfellow on 63 

Judea becomes a Roman province 68, 70 

Judea, procurators of 68 

Judgment-seat, the 76 

Judgment-Hall, the tragedy in 83, 106, 110 

John, Jesus honors 147 

K 

King, Jesus refused to be a 82 

King, Jesus accused of being a 80 

L 

Law, ancient, Prof. Maine on 69, 70 

Lifted up, Jesus was 134 

Longfellow, poetry by 63 

Love, the ocean of (poetry) 145 

M 

Manhood, that of Jesus 16, 28 

Marveled, Pilate did 85 

Mockery, by the Jews 36 

Mockery, by the Roman soldiers 107 

Mockery, the vilest on earth 140 

Murderers, the prayer for 135 

Moses, blasphemy of 48 


186 


Index, 


N 

Name, the one Jesus gave himself 49 

O 

Ober-Ammergau, Passion Play at 169 

P 

Palace, that of Caiaphas 25 

Palace, that of Pilate 74 

Palace, the Asmonean 89 

Passion Play, the Ober-Ammergau 169 

Passion Play, origin of 176 

Passovers, multitudes at (Josephus) 97 

Pavement, meaning of 75 

Pavement, Pilate and Jesus on 98 

Peter, his purpose to murder 15 

Peter, follows afar off 15 

Peter, denies the Christ 30 

Peter, denies and swears 34 

Peter, his fall 35 

Peter, Gospel of ^^77 

Pierced, the heart of Jesus I59 

Pilate, the tragedy before (1) 07 

Pilate, military strength of 71^ II5 

Pilate, his palace described 74 

Pilate, the tragedy before (1) 70 

Pilate, examines Jesus 33 

Pilate, the tragedy before (2) 97 


Index. 


187 


Pilate, his personal appeal for Jesus 101 

Pilate, the message from his wife 103 

Pilate, the death-sentence by 104 

Pilate, the last appeal of 112 

Pilate, was he to blame? 114 

Pilate, his report to Tiberias 115 

Pilate, Tertullian on 116 

Poetry, about the love of Christ 145 

Punishment, the Jewish 73 

Punishment, the Roman 73 

Prayer, that of the author 119 

Prayer, the one for murderers 135 

Prison, Jesus in 36 

Procession, the Calvary 126 

R 

“Remember me.” 142 

Renan, his faith in Christ 146 

Roman Government, Jews under 71 

Roman law, the criminal 69 

Romans, their power over Jews 71 

S 

Salome, Miss, the dancer 91 

Salvador, on the Sanhedrin 39, 52 

Salvador, the enemy of Jesus 52 

Salvador, on the mocking of Jesus 140 

Sanhedrin, laws governing 39 


188 


Index. 


Sanhedrin, the tragedy before 43 

Sanhedrists, they are guilty of death 61 

Sedition, Jesus charged with 80 

Senate, the Roman 69 

Signature, the cross a 163 

Silence, three hours of 150 

Simon, the cross-bearer 129 

Socrates, Jesus greater than 156 

Son of God, times mentioned 50 

Son of God, Salvador on 51 

Son of Man, times mentioned 50 

Stroud, Dr. , quoted 167 

Summary, the sublime 160 

Supper, the Paschal 6 

Scourging, that of Jesus 105 

Scourging, Jewish and Roman 105 


T 

Texts, the eight. 122 

Thirst, that of Jesus 153 

Thorns, Jesus crowned with 107 

Time, in Jerusalem and in Indiana 164 

Tragedy, that in Gethsemane 11 

Tragedy, that before Annas 23 

Tragedy, that before Caiaphas 29 

Tragedy, that before the Sanhedrin 39 

Tragedy, that before Pilate (1) 76 

Tragedy, that before Herod 89 


Index, 


189 


Tragedy, that before Pilate (2) 97 

Tragedy, in the Judgment-Hall 106, 110 

Tragedy, that on the Pavement 107 

Tragedy, close of before Pilate Ill 

Tragedy, review of 124 

Tragedy, the close of 157 

Treason, Jesus charged with 80 

Trial, illegality of (Annas) 28 

Trial, illegality of (Caiaphas) 38 

Trial, illegality of (Sanhedrin) 60 

Trial, illegality of (Pilate), (1) 87 

Trial, illegality of (Herod) 96 

Trial, illegality of (Pilate), (2) 113 

Trial, illegality of (Pilate), (3) 114 

Trials, Jewish laws concerning. 39 

Tribute, Pharisees’ view of 81 

Tribute, Herodians’ view of 81 

V 

Vitellus, Pilate subject to 70 

W 

Wife, the stolen one 90 

Wife, that of Pilate 102 

Woman, was it a title of respect? 147 

Whittier, on the darkness at the cross 150 





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